They will explain to the students that, vernacular names of species are helpful, but inadequate. For example, Slovenian vernacular names for the English primrose include bičica, brkončica, igelc, jaglič, piskalica, žoltica, trobentica…
While a plethora of names enriches the language, it also gives rise to communication issues. This is why natural scientists of today use a two-part scientific taxonomy of species that was introduced in the 18th century by Carl von Linné, a Swedish scientist. The English primrose thus has the scientific name Primula vulgaris.
Less famously, his contemporary working in Slovenia, Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, contributed substantially to Linné’s classification with scientific descriptions and species names from the territory that is now Slovenia.
2023 presents an opportunity to mark the 300th anniversary of Scopoli’s birth and the historic role of this scientist of world renown working in Slovenia.
The workshop is suitable for upper primary and secondary school classes.
Project coordinators: Peter Trontelj, PhD, Iztok Tomažič, PhD, Biotechnical Faculty