Сolour Naming In Ossetian Language: Linguocultural Aspect

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.