L-ismijiet popolari tal-friefet u d-distribuzzjoni gjografika u socjali taghhom

Abstract

The thesis studies the popular names of the nineteen species of butterflies existing in our islands and their geographical and social distribution. Research carried out in eight particular primary schools in Malta, seeks out to establish whether social factors such as environment (urban or rural), sex and age differences, leisure and father's occupation of participants chosen determine the knowledge of such popular names. Language interference is also considered in the results obtained in this work. The study attempts to find out whether the names given attest the presence of variant forms of speech or of idiolectal idiosyncracies. In the course of the study, it was noticed that: informants at learning particular names resorted to identification of individual butterflies by means of description utilising colour, location or time of the year.