Open AccessTHE COLOR TERMS FOR BLACK AND WHITE IN BULGARIAN, POLISH AND LITHUANIAN PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS
Author(s) -
Nadelina Ivova
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ezikov svât/ezikov svât
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2603-4026
pISSN - 1312-0484
DOI - 10.37708/ezs.swu.bg.v19i3.7
Subject(s) - bulgarian , lithuanian , linguistics , connotation , adjective , adverbial , white (mutation) , meaning (existential) , phraseology , lexical semantics , semantics (computer science) , ethnolinguistics , lexical item , history , psychology , noun , philosophy , computer science , biochemistry , chemistry , psychotherapist , gene , programming language
The present paper is contrastive analysis of Bulgarian, Polish and Lithuanian phraseological units containing a color term naming black or white. It traces the way these components reflect the figurative meaning of the unit - through their color semantics or through their function as a cultural signs. The study classiffiеs Bulgarian, Polish and Lithuanian expressions as to their belongings to several groups, which refer to different concepts. In each group the comparison of the examples found in the three phraseological subsystems is based on their semantics, their lexical components andstructure. Under observations are substantive, adjectival, adverbial and verbal phraseological units where the colors are used only as an adjective component. The analysis takes into consideration that black has negative symbolism and culturalconnotations. Thus the phraseological units with black are linked mainly to the concepts such as death, sorrow, bad life, misfortune. The text suggests that color term for black is rarely used to express neutral or positive meanings. The white has apositive cultural connotation associated to whiteness, light, good life, goodness, but its meaning can vary to neutral or negative in phraseological system of the three languages. The present paper observes similarities of collected phraseological expressions and emphasizes their nation-specific features.