Inter-/Trans-/Unidisciplinary Methods – Techniques

Instead of an Introduction

Is there a need to talk about methods and techniques of doing and conducting academic research? Are we not postmodern, so everybody does what seems to be right and needed? For over 70 years, we have been happy with ‘contemporary’ literature and linguistics disappearing behind and under numerous fields, topics and theories.

As we think about science, its impact on social surroundings and as we pose numerous questions about it being ‘useful’ or ‘scientific enough’, there is a disparate answer: we shall do science but we shall not think of making any commercial use of our studies. In Academia, of course, we conduct research. But how is it done? What do young scientists think of the existing methods and paradigms?

Following a strong belief that there is a lack of theoretical discussion and critical thinking in contemporary theory of science, we decided to organize a conference. It was coordinated by the PhD candidates of the Faculty of Modern Languages at the University of Warsaw.

Among the researchers, as the two volumes of INTER-/TRANS-/UNIDISCIPLINARY METHODS – TECHNIQUES – STRUCTURES show, there is a strong need to ask questions and seek answers about doing science. One is certain: the “why” they conduct scientific research is powerful and the “how” can always get stronger. Consequently, many researchers sent in their papers and came to Warsaw to exchange their thoughts.

As the reader can choose between many different approaches and topics presented in our two volumes, it seems right to briefly introduce the authors and present the panorama of dilemmas, topics, methods and challenges that interest them.

In general, Volume 1 is dedicated to two complex issues: how the world is approached in, and through, languages and works of literature. There is, of course, the paradigm of new linguistics, where the world is being described in different languages and, therefore is experienced differently. And then, there is the paradigm of postcolonial studies with its strong belief in the existence of different kinds of literature in different cultures. Finally, there is the idealistic belief in a fundamental list of topics and forms that shape the whole ‘human literature’. That is, perhaps, too many “beliefs” concerning a scientific approach.

Thus, there should be a place where different approaches can be presented by PhD candidates of European universities – starting from the emotional desire to express the hypnotic pluralism and the hypothetic monolith of the human ←9 | 10→perception of the world. Since the conference was held in many languages, we decided to organize the volumes according to topics and methods, not languages.

I The World in Languages

The Colourful World of Plants. A Polyconfrontative Study of Colours in the Botanical Names of Plants

Abstract: The paper deals with the polyconfrontative analysis of certain types of phytonyms, namely the chromatonyms. Chromatonyms have been analysed in the view of onomastics. The author describes numerous examples of the use of colours in the formation of binominal structure of botanical specific names with special attention paid to the specific epithet.