Galli 1

Final Linguistics Project

Word Analysis: Flower

Bella Galli

ENG3613 – Grammar and Linguistics

Mr. Watson

4 December 2018
 Galli 2

Semantics

1.) Online Etymology Dictionary

https://www.etymonline.com/word/flower#etymonline_v_8927 –

 Flower (n.)
c. 1200, flour, also flur, flor, floer, floyer, flowre, "the blossom of a plant; a flowering plant,"
from Old French flor "flower, blossom; heyday, prime; fine flour; elite; innocence, virginity"
(12c., Modern French fleur), from Latin florem (nominative flos) "flower" (source of
Italian fiore, Spanish flor), from PIE root *bhel- (3) "to thrive, bloom."

From late 14c. in English as "blossoming time," also, figuratively, "prime of life, height of
one's glory or prosperity, state of anything that may be likened to the flowering state of a
plant." As "the best, the most excellent; the best of its class or kind; embodiment of an ideal,"
early 13c. (of persons, mid-13c. of things); for example, flour of milk "cream" (early 14c.);
especially "wheat meal after bran and other coarse elements have been removed, the best part
of wheat" (mid-13c.). Modern spelling and full differentiation from flour (n.) is from late
14c.

In the "blossom of a plant" sense it ousted its Old English cognate blostm (see blossom (n.)).
Also used from Middle English as a symbol of transitoriness (early 14c.); "a beautiful
woman" (c. 1300); "virginity" (early 14c.). Flower-box is from 1818. Flower-arrangement is
from 1873. Flower child “gentle hippie" is from 1967.

 Flower (v.)
c. 1200, "be vigorous, prosper, thrive," from flower (n.). Of a plant or bud, "to blossom," c.
1300. Meaning "adorn or cover with flowers" is from 1570s. Related: Flowered; flowering.

2.) English Oxford Living Dictionaries

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/flower -

 Noun
- 1 The seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and
carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly coloured corolla (petals) and a
green calyx (sepals).
o 1.1 A flower together with its stalk, picked for use as a decoration.
‘a bunch of flowers’
o 1.2 [mass noun] The state or period in which a plant's flowers have developed
and opened.
‘the roses were just coming into flower’
o 1.3 Northern English informal Used as a friendly form of address, especially
to a young girl or woman.
‘all right then, flower?’
- 2 (the flower of) The finest individuals out of a number of people or things.
 Galli 3

‘he wasted the flower of French youth on his dreams of empire’

 Verb
[NO OBJECT]
- 1 (of a plant) produce flowers; bloom.
‘Michaelmas daisies can flower as late as October’
o 1.1 [with object] Induce (a plant) to produce flowers.
- 2 Be in or reach an optimum stage of development; develop fully and richly.
‘she flowered into as striking a beauty as her mother’
 Origin
Middle English flour, from Old French flour, flor, from Latin flos, flor-. The original spelling
was no longer in use by the late 17th century except in its specialized sense ‘ground grain’
(see flour).

3.) Collins English Dictionary

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/flower –

Flower
 Countable Noun
o A flower is the part of a plant which is often brightly colored, grows at the end of
a stem, and only survives for a short time.
Each individual flower is tiny.
 Countable Noun
o A flower is a stem of a plant that has one or more flowers on it and has been
picked, usually with others, for example, to give as a present or to put in a vase.
...a bunch of flowers sent by a new admirer.
 Countable Noun
o Flowers are small plants that are grown for their flowers as opposed to trees,
shrubs, and vegetables.
...a lawned area surrounded by screening plants and flowers.
 Intransitive Verb
o When a plant or tree flowers, its flowers appear and open.
Several of these rhododendrons will flower this year for the first time.
 Intransitive Verb
o When something flowers, for example, a political movement or a relationship, it
gets stronger and more successful.
Their relationship flowered.

Flower (in American)

 Noun
o the seed-producing structure of an angiosperm, consisting of a shortened stem
usually bearing four layers of organs, with the leaflike sepals, colorful petals, and
pollen-bearing stamens unfolding around the pistils.
o a blossom; bloom
o the reproductive structure of any plant
 Galli 4

o a plant cultivated for its blossoms; flowering plant

o the best or finest part or example
the flower of a country's youth
o the best period of a person or thing; time of flourishing
o something decorative; esp., a figure of speech
o [pl.]; Chemistry
a substance in powder form, made from condensed vapors
flowers of sulfur

 Verb Intransitive
o to produce blossoms; bloom
o to reach the best or most vigorous stage
his genius flowered early

 Verb Transitive
o to decorate with flowers or floral patterns

Flower (in British)

 Noun
o a bloom or blossom on a plant
o a plant that bears blooms or blossom
o the reproductive structure of angiosperm plants, consisting normally of stamens
and carpels surrounded by petals and sepals all borne on the receptacle (one or
more of these structures may be absent). In some plants it is conspicuous and
brightly coloured and attracts insects or other animals for pollination
o any similar reproductive structure in other plants
o the prime; peak
in the flower of his youth
o the choice or finest product, part, or representative
the flower of the young men
o a decoration or embellishment
o printing
a type ornament, used with others in borders, chapter headings, etc.
o Also called: fleuron
an embellishment or ornamental symbol depicting a flower
o (plural)
Fine powder, usually produced by sublimation
flowers of Sulphur

 Verb
o (intransitive)
to produce flowers; bloom
o (intransitive)
To reach full growth or maturity
o (transitive)
To deck or decorate with flowers or floral designs
 Galli 5

4.) Cambridge Dictionary

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/flower –

 Noun
o [biology] the part of a plant that produces seeds, is often brightly colored and
sometimes has a pleasant smell, or a plant that produces this part.

 Verb
o To produce flowers:
Our shrubs flower in late summer.
o [literary] to develop completely and become obvious.

Morphology

Tree Diagram #1: Morpheme

*Flower is a free morpheme; therefore, it can stand alone as a word, and it does not have any
bound morphemes attached to it.

1.) Tree Diagram for Flowers:

Noun/Verb

Noun/Verb

Flower s

2.) Tree Diagram for Flowered:

Verb

Noun/Verb

Flower ed
 Galli 6

3.) Tree Diagram for Flowering:

Adjective/Noun

Noun/Verb

Flower ing

4.) Tree Diagram for Deflower:

Verb

Noun/Verb

De flower

5.) Tree Diagram for Reflower:

Verb

Noun/Verb

Re flower

6.) Tree Diagram for Flowerful:

Adjective

Noun/Verb

Flower ful
 Galli 7

7.) Tree Diagram for Flowerless:

Adjective

Noun/Verb

Flower less

8.) Tree Diagram for Flowerlike:

Adjective

Noun/Verb

Flower like

9.) Tree Diagram for Flowerer:

Noun

Noun/Verb

Flower er

10.) Tree Diagram for Unflower:

Verb

Noun/Verb

Un flower
 Galli 8

11.) Tree Diagram for Flowery: adjective

Adjective

Noun/Verb

Flower y

Tree Diagram #2: Syllable Structure

Flower – CCVC-VC; Flow-er

Syllable (Flow-)

Onset Rhyme

Nucleus Coda

fl o w

(Consonants) (Vowels) (Consonants)

Syllable (-er)

Onset Rhyme

Nucleus Coda

(*None) e r

*This syllable has no onset; therefore, it is “onsetless”.

 Galli 9

Grammar/Syntax

Word Classes Associated with Flower:

Noun
Verb
Adjective

Tree Diagrams of Sentences using Flower:

1.) Noun – The pink flower in the garden bloomed today.

Sentence

Noun Phrase

Noun Phrase Prep. Phrase Verb Phrase

Det. Adj. Noun Prep. Det. Noun Verb Adv.

The pink flower in the garden bloomed today

2.) Verb – The Sakura tree flowers in April.

Sentence

Verb Phrase

Noun Phrase

Noun Phrase Prep. Phrase

Det. Adj. Noun Verb Prep. Noun

The Sakura tree flowers in April

 Galli 10

3.) Adjective – The flowery blanket is warm.

Sentence

Noun Phrase Verb Phase

Det. Adj. Noun Verb Adjective

The flowery blanket is warm

*There are no prescriptive rules for the usage of flower.

Orthography

1.) Old English Spelling– Blōstma

2.) Middle English Spelling– Flour

3.) Modern English Spelling – Flower

*There are no differences in spelling among individuals in countries or regions who use the

English language.

Phonology/Phonetics

1.) Phonemic Transcription – /‘flaʊər / or /‘flaʊr/

(Apostrophe is placed before the stressed syllable in a word; therefore, the first syllable in flower
is stressed.)

2.) Phonetic Transcription – [flawɚ], [flawər], or [flawr]

Variety
Area of Usage

The English word flower is used in most countries English-speaking countries, such as in the

United States, in the United Kingdom, and in Canada. It is one of the most common words in the

English language and became a part of the language after the Norman invasion of 1066. During
 Galli 11

this invasion, French-speaking individuals captured and ruled England. Flower stems from the

Old French flor or flour, which had previously originated from the Latin flos or flor-. (Different

types of flowers tend to have specific names, as well.)

https://medium.com/the-philipendium/word-connections-flowers-a6731cc0c1d9

Dialects/Languages Translations

1.) Italian: Fiore

2.) Danish: Blomst

https://www.1800flowers.com/blog/flower-facts/how-to-say-flower-in-different-languages/

Reflection

Flowers bloom into a variety of colorful petals, green leaves, winding vines, and beautiful

silhouettes. I chose the word flower to analyze for this project, because flowers serve as

reminders of joy and new growth and often celebrate positive feelings and events. For me,

studying a word that kindles pleasant feelings encouraged me to want to learn more and apply it

in my own studies. Also, flower is a commonly-used word, so I thought that it would be

fascinating to dive deeper into understanding its origin and how it has evolved since it was first

applied within a sentence or work. Throughout my research this semester, the linguistic tools and

concepts that the class has taught me has made me more conscious of my own speech and how I

express ideas, and I have acquired skills that will help me to continue to utilize and recognize

proper use of the English language.

The knowledge I have gained from studying morphology and syntax specifically has

greatly affected both my writing and speaking abilities, not only in Grammar and Linguistics but

my other classes, as well. Structures of both a sentence and a single word in a sentence impacts

its meaning and how it is meant to be communicated. As I studied the word flower, I quickly
 Galli 12

realized how diverse it could be when employed correctly in a work of literature. Flower can be

used as a noun, verb, and an adjective. Usually, I only say it when referring to a noun. This

expanded my vocabulary, because, although it is a recognizable word, I can now convey new

notions due to its ability to function as different word classes, depending on the context of a

sentence and morphemes added to the word itself. With this discovery, I was driven to consider

how other basic words could have several definitions and could be used to articulate refreshing

perspectives. In other classes and beyond the boundaries of school, I am eager to see how

linguistics will continue to exhibit itself and affect my own awareness of the English language,

because it has already inspired me to be more mindful of how I converse with others and write

papers for assignments.

The benefits of conducting a word study are many; however, in particular, my

appreciation of the complexity of the language I use to connect with those and the world around

me has grown, as well as my cognizance of those who do not speak the English language.

Linguistics affects all languages, because it involves understanding the historical background of

how words came to exist and advance, and it influences the communication dynamic within a

small or large group of people. Much of the English language itself developed from foreign

languages such as Latin, French, and German, according to my research. For the word flower,

much of its origin relates to Latin and French. Foreign cultures and languages have contributed

to the foundation of our language, and I have a better grasp of how interconnected the globe is

due to the sharing of languages and values of listening to and interacting with one another.

Overall, I have obtained a large amount of knowledge on the study of the structure of the word

flower, how it functions within sentences and on its own, and how it can shape the ideas I wish to

express. It is thrilling to know that there is more to be learned each day about how and why I
 Galli 13

communicate due to my upbringing and in-classroom and out-of-classroom experiences, and I

will apply my new knowledge and gratitude to the language I speak as I move forward in my

future career as an educator.

Galli 14