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Lexicalization patterns in color naming: A cross-linguistic perspective
Edited by Ida Raffaelli, Daniela Katunar and Barbara Kerovec
[Studies in Functional and Structural Linguistics 78] 2019
► pp. 357–378

Symbolic and cultural meaning of colors in phraseology

A cross-linguistic and cross-cultural study of Russian and German phraseological units

| University of Zagreb
| University of Zagreb

In the present study, we assume that color terms, as components of phraseological units, contribute to the meaning of the whole figurative unit in two ways: (1) through their denotative lexical meaning; (2) through their symbolic and/or cultural potential. We examine the phraseological subsystem of Russian and German, and then perform a comparative phraseological analysis. The main aim of this research is to systematically depict the main features of Russian and German color phraseology, to determine how much of the basic lexical meaning color components bring into the formation of the phraseological meaning, and to which extent the symbolism of colors has influenced the formation of that meaning.

Keywords: phraseological units, color components, denotative meaning, symbolic and cultural meaning, phraseological meaning, Russian, German
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Basic color terms in Russian and German phraseology
    • 2.1Black
      • 2.1.1PUs based on denotative lexical meaning
      • 2.1.2PUs based on symbolic and/or cultural potential
    • 2.2White
      • 2.2.1PUs based on denotative lexical meaning
      • 2.2.2PUs based on symbolic and/or cultural potential
    • 2.3Red
      • 2.3.1PUs based on denotative lexical meaning
      • 2.3.2PUs based on symbolic and/or cultural potential
    • 2.4Green
      • 2.4.1PUs based on denotative lexical meaning
      • 2.4.2PUs based on symbolic and/or cultural potential
    • 2.5Blue
      • 2.5.1PUs based on denotative lexical meaning
      • 2.5.2PUs based on symbolic and/or cultural potential
    • 2.6Yellow
      • 2.6.1PUs based on denotative lexical meaning
      • 2.6.2PUs based on symbolic and/or cultural potential
    • 2.7Grey
      • 2.7.1PUs based on denotative lexical meaning
      • 2.7.2PUs based on symbolic and/or cultural potential
    • 2.8Pink
    • 2.9Purple
    • 2.10Orange
    • 2.11Brown
  • 3.Lexicalization patterns of color terms based on Russian and German phraseology
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 9 October 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sfsl.78.15bar
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