Abstract
The paper explores core and peripheral color lexicon and shades in Ossetian language. Derived, complex words and analytical structures transmit shades of colors. Four colors have the highest use frequency in Ossetian language: black, white, red and blue. Black and white colors have the greatest semantic and stylistic meaning in the speech of Ossetian linguistic culture. These colors are precisely the part of mental language formations. An important role in color features of objective world is played by yellow and gold that is close to it. Blue, green and gray are named by one color. Color words have connotative meanings, express the peculiarities in people mentality and participate in symbol formation and stereotypes. Individual author’s development of color vocabulary enriches visual and expressive possibilities in Ossetian language. This study gives an idea of color picture of the world in the minds of the Ossetians. The example of folklore texts in various genres, Ossetian Nart legend, works of literature, ethnographic material and historical data carry out semantic, stylistic, morphemic and grammatical analysis of lexical and phraseological units with a component of color naming. The study used lexicographic editions, Russian-Ossetian and Ossetian-Russian dictionaries. There are representation of words and components with the color semantics in the dictionary entries, recommendations to extend words and expressions with the described meaning, right version in disputed moments of lexemes and combinations. We also consider the questions of color semantics in Ossetian proper names.
Keywords: Color namingsymbolstereotypemetaphorlinguocultural aspect
Introduction
Ossetian linguistics has no complex consideration of colour terms, so the topic of the study is quite relevant. The colour picture of the world in Ossetian vision is diverse and colourful, despite the fact that not all eleven basic colour names are recorded in the language. The study of colour words in Ossetian language and speech (text) will describe their types, as well as their use to form complex words, phrases, phraseological units and the way colour vocabulary reflects the connection with Ossetian culture.
Problem Statement
Many scientists dealt with the problem of color naming in linguistics. Among them are not only domestic researchers, but also foreign scientists. (Bedoidze, 1997) and Nuradilov , 2011) and many others wrote about the color subspace in linguocultural picture of the world in Ossetian language within a comparative aspect. The study of the Besolova and Abaeva (2015) reflected the problem in color semantics of national mentality in Ossetian ritual text, informative intensity of signs, possessing universal and specific features in color vocabulary. Various aspects of semantics in color vocabulary were reflected in the works of Karsanova (2010), Mamiev (2016), Kanukova & Dzagoeva 2013, Kanukova, Tuaeva, & Plieva, 2017), Gatsalova, Martazanov & Parsieva, 2014; Gatsalova & Parsieva 2016), Parsieva (2008) and others.
Research Questions
Despite a variety of publications devoted to the above issues, the study includes only some aspects of color phenomenon. We share not just the authors’ point of view about the huge role of lexemes with coloristic semantics in the language of any nation, but also reveal the essence of specific nature of color meanings in Ossetian linguoculture.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to describe semantic features of color words and their place in language and linguoculture. The results of the study will contribute to the study of color vocabulary in Ossetian language.
Research Methods
The study is based on the method of continuous sampling to identify lexemes with colour component in Ossetian language in lexicographical publications and literature. The method of component analysis is taken as a reference in this study to describe semantic features of colour vocabulary. We applied the methods of statistical counting to identify what colors and shades have the greatest number of derived words in Ossetian language.
Findings
The process of forming a set of basic colour names is universal, so it is inherent to all languages equally. World’s languages distinguish basic (core) and peripheral colours. Out of seven colours in the spectrum that are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue and purple, Ossetian language has only four colours – red “
Black and white are considered achromatic. These two colours are part of mental language formations and bear the greatest semantic and stylistic meaning in the text of Ossetian linguistic culture. Other colours and shades also have names in the language; they are formed according to basic colours or borrowed. Additionally, modern Ossetian language has the following color terms:
Initially, the color was designated indirectly by indicating color of relevant common things or objects of nature. Many basic and peripheral colors get terms from the names of objects with appropriate color, for example,
Adverbs were formed from colour adjectives in Ossetian language. Many verbs with figurative meaning are components of complex words, phrases, phraseological units, proverbs. They have a metaphorical meaning and have become symbols, stereotypes, standards. Colour words are part of socio-political, medical, zoological, botanical, physical and geographical terms such as
Colours have concepts of light, darkness, fire, grief, disease, social status, sadness, misfortune, envy, joy, happiness, so they play a big role in linguistic culture. The symbolism of colours in Ossetian language indicates the color picture of the world in people’s minds.
Ossetian folklore uses traditional, regular epithets that are colour adjectives. They define natural phenomena, inanimate objects, plants, animals, birds, man meaning the entire objective and non-objective world. Traditionally folk art, especially poetic texts, use colours such as
Ossetian Nart legend has constant combinations of
Generally constant epithet
Following the indivisible phrases, the color words have their symbolic importance:
The color of an object may be referred to comparison, for example, in person’s appearance
The shades of color can be conveyed by such components as
There are colors such as white (
White is traditionally a symbol of peace (white dove, white flag). White color becomes a symbol of betrayal in E. Britaev’s Khazbi drama. Tsora is one of the characters. He ties a piece of white material to a stick and attaches to a tree during, the battle. The attitude of defenders of the native land to this fact was unambiguous: “
There are yellow (
There are green (
Red (
There are gray (
There are blue (
The concept of
The
Combinations with negative estimated meaning of black (
There are phrases with positive evaluation. They include
Surprisingly emotional and mental state is accurately conveyed by the words consisting of color words. This includes adjectives, idioms, metaphors in the following:
Conclusion
Modern Ossetian language has a well-developed system of color naming. Black and white colors have the greatest semantic and stylistic meaning of speech in Ossetian linguistic culture. Particularly these two colors are the part of mental language formations. Yellow and gold that is close to it play an important role in color description of the subject world. Blue, green and grey have the same name of цъæх. Color words have connotative meanings, express peculiarities in mentality of people, form symbols and stereotypes. Individual author formations of color vocabulary significantly enrich the pictorial and expressive possibilities in Ossetian language. Presented difference of color lexicon and phraseology is described by examples from works of literature and folklore
Acknowledgments
The study was funded by RFBR according to the research project No. 18-012-00440 “Active processes in vocabulary of multi-structural languages: internal development and external interaction”.
References
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Publication Date
29 March 2019
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978-1-80296-057-0
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Future Academy
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58
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Sociolinguistics, linguistics, semantics, discourse analysis, science, technology, society
Cite this article as:
Tsopanova, R., Gatsalova, L., Kudzoeva, A., Gazdarova, A., & Khozieva, I. (2019). Сolour Naming In Ossetian Language: Linguocultural Aspect. In D. K. Bataev (Ed.), Social and Cultural Transformations in the Context of Modern Globalism, vol 58. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 2024-2031). Future Academy. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.03.02.235