Search Results

Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

The Bird World Recorded in Plant Names

Agnieszka Wierzbicka

Published: 28-12-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-14

Phytonyms are an extremely interesting category of lexis and they contain the significant semantic properties of the Polish language. Trying to recreate the nomination process of individual species, we see how much it depends on the perception of man and observation of the surrounding reality. The meanings contained in the colloquial, dialectical and botanical names of plants reveal to us an extremely rich and colorful world observed by man. Detailed semantic analysis of names such as jaskółcze ziele, kaczeniec, kurzyślad, kacze pyski, rdest ptasi, ptasie oczko and others leads to surprising conclusions – plant names often carry metaphorical content based on sensory perception and experience, and also many times on associations connecting flora with the world of birds. In her speech, the author will show that the system of nominating plants around us is largely based on the conceptualization of the world by people and the categorization of the nearest reality known to man.

2021-12-28



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

The Ambivalent Image of the Dog in Robotics

Magdalena Kozhevnikova , Svetlana Karpova

Published: 29-06-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-12

Dogs and humans have relationships which are special in their emotional intensity. Aside from the fact that the dog performs many tasks that fulfil the needs of its human owner, it is also, and perhaps primarily, that owner’s friend and companion. At the same time, a dog may be regarded as a threat, due to associations with the aggressive nature of its wolfish ancestors. This ambivalence with regard to dogs can be detected in the modern history of robotics: the machines which are being developed seem to reflect both types of the dog’s image: that of a family member and that of a dangerous beast. Examples are supplied by the Aibo commercial robot created by Sony and the BigDog robot (including its subsequent advanced versions), created by Boston Dynamics for the military. Both these products can be seen as illustrations of the seemingly contradictory images of the dog in culture.

2021-06-29



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Avoidance Learning as a Psychological Criterion of Animal’s Capacity for Suffering

Wojciech Pisula , Klaudia Modlińska

Published: 20-10-2025 | Abstract | pp. 1-16

This article proposes a new criterion for assessing an animal’s capacity for suffering, focusing on psychological criteria, particularly avoidance learning. This criterion may allow for a more comprehensive assessment of suffering in various species and situations. The theory of integrative levels explains the development of avoidance behavior and presents the probable cognitive threshold for animal suffering. Animals capable of avoidance learning are more likely to suffer, as this behavior requires the ability to form associations between stimuli and actions and make predictions about future events, which may lead to aversive emotional states. The proposed criterion offers an objective way to assess suffering without relying on ambiguous terms like “consciousness” or “sentience,” providing a broader, more accurate evaluation method.

2025-10-20



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

On Ancient Zoos and Menageries [Review of Aleksandra Jakóbczyk-Gola’s book Ogrody zwierząt. Staropolskie zwierzyńce i menażerie, Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Muzeum Historii Polski, 2021]

Natalia Rezmer-Mrówczyńska

Published: 06-09-2024 | Abstract | pp. 1-7

In her latest monograph titled Ogrody zwierząt. Staropolskie zwierzyńce i menażerie [The Gardens of Animals. Old Polish Zoological Gardens and Menageries], Aleksandra Jakóbczyk-Gola describes zoological gardens and menageries in the former Republic of Poland and at the threshold of modernity. The author sets her research concerning the history of animal collections in a broad social and historical context, as well as in museological and environmental ones. The book presents the result of the most recent research on native and non-European fauna in the modern era. It provides a study of the structure and resources of ancient animal collections, including an analysis of the development and establishment of human-animal relationships in a cultural perspective, from ancient times onwards. It includes a history of animal collections from the regions of Mesopotamia, China, Africa and the Americas.

2024-09-06