Colour Name ‘Shkhue’ in Adyghe Linguistic Culture: Etymology, Internal Form, Semantics

Abstract

The etymological and historical-semasiological analysis of the word ‘shkhue’, the designation of one of the most significant sacred flowers in the Adyghe linguoculture, has been carried out. The analysis of this linguistic unit is accompanied by a study of the semantic development and word-formation relations of single-root words grouped around the main generating base, represented by the root word ‘shkhue’, in the modern language. The purpose of the study is to research the historical and semantic development of the color lexeme ‘shkhue’in the Adyghe linguistic culture. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the genesis and further development of the word is reconstructed, which is at the head of the systemic semantic and word-formation relations between linguistic units united by genetic kinship. In the course of the study of cognate words, not only the type of semantic relations, but the possibilities of maintaining or breaking (full or partial) semantic links are studied. Results: Based on the analysis of texts and dictionaries, language units that form a nest with a ‘shkhue’ top were collected. The chain of semantic transitions in this group of nominations is restored. The internal form of derived units is clarified. The originality of metaphors is commented. It has been established that the continuants of this nest implement semantic models that are characterized by seriality and regularity. On the basis of color naming, other color naming conventions of a wide range (all shades of the changing color of the sky), the names of birds as inhabitants of the sky (or by the color of their plumage), animals by coat color, as well as designations from the sphere of magic and traditional medicine (drugs, poison), and finally, words denoting fear, blurred perception, etc.