Semasiological Relationships of Lexical Parallels in English and French Color Nomenclature

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the exploration of allo- and isomorphic characteristics of the color systems in the English and French languages. The primary aim of this study is to identify both common and specific features of the form and content of color-naming units represented in English and French art discourse. The material for this research includes art criticism texts in both languages, as well as lexicographic sources: explanatory and etymological dictionaries, thesauri, and corpus data from both analyzed languages. The article clarifies key definitions in the linguistics of color, proposing transparent criteria for classifying units as coloronyms and coloratives. The authors establish significant intra- and extralinguistic vectors of color naming. Based on a detailed analysis of the structure, semantics, and origins of lexical units, the authors present a comparative typology of coloronyms in English and French. Fully equivalent units, calque units, units that are equivalent only formally or semantically, as well as units with zero equivalence are identified. This study allows for the identification and comparison of ascending and descending trends in color naming across both languages, taking into account the influence of extralinguistic reality on linguistic processes.

Keywords

• english language
• french language
• coloronym
• color designation
• chromatic field
• prototype
• equivalence