Marco Bagli

two mushrooms are growing in a mossy area and one of them has water drops on it ALT: two mushrooms are growing in a mossy area and one of them has water drops on it

This is not specific only to mushrooms. Rather, it seems to be a general tendency in naming strategies for wildlife.

Selected from where? This is the juicy bit. The information reported in common names of mushrooms are a repository of ecological knowledge about the species, which derives from close observations and attention to the shape, color, habitat, and habits of growth of the mushrooms.

a man in a striped shirt is looking at his cell phone and saying hmm ok . ALT: a man in a striped shirt is looking at his cell phone and saying hmm ok .

Thus: the shape of the cap is metonymically selected to represent the whole fungus. Its name is associated to a drinking vessel. The season of growth of the fungus is further metonymically selected to refer to the whole fungus.

For instance, the mushroom in the picture is a “winter chanterelle”: the name chanterelle derives from “kantharos” (pic from Wikipedia), a drinking vessel with a distinctive shape similar to this mushroom. The premodifier “winter” describes the preferred season of growth.

a cartoon drawing of a mushroom with a happy face ALT: a cartoon drawing of a mushroom with a happy face

Most common names of mushrooms are motivated by a metonymic construal of the fungus, which selects a relevant part of the fungus to name it. Some of these operations are also intertwined with metaphors.

riviste.unige.it/index.php/pu...

Do you know the name of this mushroom?
If not - don’t worry! You’re not alone.
Despite growing numerous in British forests, people are often scared by wild mushrooms. Some of them have names, and I review the semantic motivation of some of them in this new paper (link in comments)

a man in a suit and bow tie is standing in front of a whiteboard and says `` science it up '' . ALT: a man in a suit and bow tie is standing in front of a whiteboard and says `` science it up '' .

If you want to contribute to science but are not yet quite ready to donate your body, why not putting a team together to organise the next 2026 @raammetaphor.bsky.social RaAM Specialised Seminar or 2027 RaAM International Conference? Deadline: January 31 2025! www.raam.org.uk/conferences/...