The specifics of English color names in the domain of clothes in linguistics

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Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University (Mykolaiv, Ukraine)

The specifics of English color names in the domain of clothes in linguistics

Karyna Pidrushniak

Lecturer at the English Language Department



Abstract

The influence of color on a human has long attracted the attention of scientists in various fields. Adjectives of color were to be considered in terms ofphysics, biology, physiology, psychology, ethnography, history, and of course linguistics. The study and research of color names for a long time led to the formation of a specialized conceptual apparatus, helped to formulate a set of scientific problems and perspective tasks in the theoretical development of the linguistic and cultural phenomenon of color names. The paper focuses on the features and specifics of the English color names functioning in the field of clothing. The removed color names are devided by categories ofprimary colors and the grammatical and semantic features of each color are explored. The article covers the study of color and color names in linguistics, analyzes approaches to the study of units with a color component in linguistics. Based on the results of the analysis the article concludes that the main part of color names is a source of numerous associations, because they derive from the names of plants, animals, minerals, minerals, food, etc. Most units are considered to be adjectives of the secondary nomination by the method of transmission of shades. The problem of understanding some colors is expressed through national and cultural specifics, intercultural differences and barriers to certain phenomena in the lives of people from different countries, so when researching their specifics it was necessary to refer to the Internet resource for more information. A number of units differ in their uniqueness and unusualness. Women's clothing units have a wide variety of color names. A number of colors raised questions because they did not correspond at all to the actual color of the object of association. Some of the color names had specific semantics, symbolic only for Americans.

Key words: color name, lexeme, seme, semantics, association.



Карина Підрушняк, викладач кафедри англійської мови Чорноморського національного університету імені Петра Могили (Миколаїв, Україна)

Особливості англійських кольоронайменувань у сфері одягу в лінгвістиці

Анотація

color english name

Вплив кольору на людину здавна привертав увагу вчених самих різних сфер. Прикметники кольору підлягали розгляду з погляду фізики, біології, фізіології, психології, етнографії, історії та, звичайно, лінгвістики. Вивчення та дослідження кольоронайменувань впродовж довгого часу привело до утворення спеціалізованого концептуального апарату, допомогло сформулювати комплекс наукових проблем і перспективних завдань у теоретичному освоєнні лінгвокультурного феномена кольоронайменувань. Стаття присвячена особливостям та специфіці англійських кольоронайменувань, що функціонують у галузі одягу. Вилучені кольоропозначення поділено на категорії основних кольорів та досліджено граматичні та семантичні особливості кожного кольору. У статті висвітлено питання вивчення кольору і кольоронайменувань у лінгвістиці, аналізувано підходи до дослідження одиниць із кольорокомпонентом у мовознавстві. На підставі результатів робимо висновок, що основна частина кольоропозначень є джерелом численних асоціацій, адже вони походять від назв рослин, тварин, мінералів, копалин, харчових продуктів тощо. Більшість одиниць вважаються прикметниками вторинної номінації за способом передачі відтінків. Проблема розуміння деяких кольорів зумовлюється національно-культурною специфікою, міжкультурними відмінностями і бар'єрами щодо певних явищ у житті людей різних країн, тому під час дослідження їх специфіки необхідно було звертатися до Інтернет-ресурсу за додатковою інформацією. Певна кількість одиниць відрізняється своєю неповторністю та незвичністю. Одиниці жіночого одягу відрізняються великим різноманіттям кольоронайменувань. Низка кольорів викликали питання, тому що вони взагалі не відповідали дійсному кольору предмету асоціації. Деяким із них була властива специфічна семантика, символічна тільки для американців.

Ключові слова: кольоронайменування, лексема, сема, семантика, асоціація.



Introduction

Color is one of the main realities of culture, it is its component and is connected with a certain system of associations, interpretations, semantic meanings. A person expresses his attitude to the surrounding reality, characterizes and systematizes objects and concepts through the color.

A color name is the subject of a research by scientists in a wide range of knowledge. Linguistic research of color names contains the following directions: study in modern languages at different levels of development; culturological aspect, the connection of color with culture; psychological characteristics of color; lexical and semantic characteristics of color; research of ethnolinguistic bases of color; analysis of the language of color symbols; connection of color and sound; study of color concepts. Color names have great information potential which is the basis of complex and multilevel color symbolism. The multifaceted and ambiguous semantics of color names underlies their symbolism and is the source of numerous associations that make them an element of a figurative structure of objects.

The purpose of the investigation is to identify and describe the grammatical and semantic features of English color names in the field of clothing (on the material of online stores). The paper examines the question of studying color names in linguistics.



Literature review

Over the past 50 years, scientists have become more interested in the study of color names. H. Herne, M. Sourovtseva, L. Granovska, N. Pelevina, B. Berlin, P. Kay conducted a thorough investigation of color names and made a great contribution to the development of this phenomenon in Linguistics, in the development of the problems of the lexical-semantic field «color» (Levinson, 2000: 4). H. Herne studied Slavic lexemes on the color designations. V. Moskovich, V. Makeenko, V. Yurik, N. Pelevina investigated the semantic field of color names (Левко, 2014: 199). M. Surovtseva and L. Granovsky researched the history of color names. B. Berlin and P. Kay studied the etymology of color (Berlin, 1974: 246).

In linguistic researches, there are different approaches to the study of color names: historical, grammatical, cognitive, gender, comparative, and others.

The lexical-semantic approach is presented in the works of R. Alimpieva. Having chosen this approach as a basis, the researcher emphasizes the current state of the system of color names, namely analyzes the processes of development of the semantic structure of individual color names, creates and forms figurative and symbolic meanings in color names, forms lexical-semantic groups of color names. Based on the commonality of the values of the units, this approach facilitates the distribution of color symbols in groups, and also helps to identify color names mentioned in artistic speech in the literal and figurative sense (Алимпиева, 1986: 44).

Comparative approach is the basis of the works of I. Makeenko. This approach allows obtaining information about the similarity or difference of color tones of different languages, about national-specific, linguistic and cultural features of color names, about subject models of worldview and interpretation of the world in individual languages. This approach is of particular interest in terms of intercultural interaction (Макеенко, 1999: 50).



Findings

The research methods are descriptive-analytical, which is used to describe color names, elements of component analysis, which are used to decompose color symbols into smallest semantic units - semes. To select the actual material of the study, the continuous sampling method is used. It provided a selection of examples of color names of women's and men's clothing on the material of online stores. The material of the study is online clothing stores: www. angelsjeans.com, www.gap.com,www.forever21.com, www.ralphlauren.com,www.6pm.com. Thus, 57 English color items of women's (W.) and 43 color attributes of men's clothes (M.) are studied.

Using V. Ivarovskaya's classification of color names, according to which she identifies ten primary colors: white, red, blue, green, yellow, brown, gray, black, orange, purple, the removed color names are devided by categories of primary colors and the grammatical and semantic features of each color are explored. The reason for choosing this classification is that the classification is based on the principle of division by lexical- semantic field: all these colors have the ability to be part of color fields in the form of their nucleus (Иваровская, 1998: 104).

As the material of the analysis shows, according to the values of these color names in dictionaries, the accents on the shades can be changed. That is, the shades of some colors sometimes do not match the data of the dictionary. During the research at the stage of assigning color to the category, we are guided by a visual image - the shade that is depicted on the pages of American and British online stores.

Therefore, the following color names can be attributed to the category «white» from the removed ones:

chalk - is shown in white (W.)

This unusual color was applied due to the association with the specified color. It should be noted that it is expressed by a noun as an independent part of speech. These are not necessarily physical objects, but any associations, concepts, feelings or actions that come to mind in connection with the mention of this color.

Carl's stone - is shown in white (M.)

Paying attention to the specifics of this color, every Ukrainian will think about the designation of Carl's stone. To understand the origin of this version of the interpretation of white, it is necessary to refer to Internet resources. It turns out that this category comes from the American series of online comments about football called "Carl's Stone Cold Lock of the Century of the Week", whose fictional character was a vulgar, stupid and sarcastic man Carl. The question arises as to how the color Carl's stone works in the series. The protagonist was often dressed in a white T-shirt - that's the explanation. This color is used in the online store to depict men's clothing, namely T-shirts and shirts. Color is expressed as a phrase of the possessive case with the noun. The problem of understanding is expressed through national and cultural specifics, which are expressed by numerous intercultural barriers to certain phenomena in the lives of people from different countries and nation.

chino - is shown in white (M.)

The category «chino» in white and milk color is indicated on the pages of consumer goods for men in the section of men's trousers. Chino fabric was usually used to sew Chinos. «Chinos» - pants made of dense colored cotton (the first models were made exclusively of Chinese fabric), they are practical in almost all cases of life. The British and American armies were dressed in Chino during the second half of the 1800s. Therefore, this color is expressed by the name of the fabric material. The color name «chino» is expressed by a noun.

natural - is shown in white (M.)

The item of clothing in color «natural» is white and appears on the pages of women's clothing. This category is very much related to symbolism. White is a symbol of purity in America. Regarding the grammatical aspect, the color "natural" is expressed by an adjective.

cream - is shown in white (M.)

This color name evokes an associative idea of a substance called the appropriate noun - cream.

naked - is shown in white (M.)

The adjective «naked» evokes images of ancient female and male figures - masterpieces of ancient Greek sculpture depicting naked people.

The category «red» includes a number of units from the removed color names that denote many shades of red:

rust - is shown in orange-red (W.)

This color name is expressed by the name of the result of the oxidation process, which has a rusty color - a shade of red.

pink blush - is shown in pink (W.)

In general, in English there are two words to denote the color pink - «pink» and «rosy». The first is more neutral and productive in terms of word formation; in the second, «rosy», the color is obviously comparable to a rose, so its scope is more limited. As a rule, «rosy» is used metaphorically, with an emotional and romantic connotation. The color name «pink blush» has an attributive structure with the second component «blush» - the main adjective of color and the first component «pink» which expresses the intensity of the color feature.

coral - is shown in pink-orange (W.)

maroon - is shown in dark-red (W.)

magenta - is shown in pink (W.)

terra cotta - is shown in red (W.)

scarlet - is shown in red (M.)

These color designations refer to those that have shades. They belong to a group of color symbols that convey shades of color analytically. In this case, simple adjectives by the method of transmission of shades refers to adjectives that do not have clear etymology.

rosehip - is shown in red (W.)

tomato - is shown in red (W.)

strawberry - is shown in pinky red (W.)

paprika - is shown in red (W.)

cinnamon - is shown in pinky red (W.)

raspberry - is shown in pink (M.)

pomegranate - is shown in dark red (M.)

petunia - is shown in pink (W.)

plum - is shown in dark red (W.)

Specified color names are grammatically expressed by a noun and all belong to the genus of plants. These color names on clothes are depicted as we see them in nature (in relation to color). There is a fairly large group of names that change their color parameters only to a limited extent - these are the names of natural objects. Their color is poorly correlated with the reference, it is not always the same in different copies, but it is well known to every native speaker.

raspberry punch - is shown in bright pink (W.)

wine - is shown in dark pink (W.)

milkshake - is shown in pale pink (M.)

zephyr - is shown in pale pink (M.)

candy - is shown in pink (W.)

The above color names are grammatically expressed by a noun, and the color name «raspberry punch» - a noun phrase. All units are the names of beverages and confectionery. The colors «raspberry punch», «wine» and «candy» are used to describe women's clothing, and «milkshake» and «zephyr» are used to describe men's clothing. An interesting fact is that soft shades of pink are used to depict men's clothing. These units are united by a commonality of primary meaning and reflect the conceptual, substantive or functional similarity of the denoted phenomena.

rouge - is shown in pink (W.)

The use of this color designation can not confuse people, and it will be easy to understand what color is meant, not looking at the image of the object.

spring - is shown in pink (W.)

This color evokes associations with delicate spring flowers, which delight with luxurious bright blooms.

summer azalea - is shown in red (W.)

brilliant fuchsia - is shown in pink (W.)

pink willow - is shown in pale pink (M.)

salmon heather - is shown in pink (M.)

rose dew - is shown in pale pink (M.)

The units are grammatically expressed by a phrase (an adjective with a noun or two nouns) and derive from plant names. In lexical meaning, these units correspond to the color of the clothes they denote. The exception is the color name «pink wil- low», which will probably make potential customers wonder why the willow is pink. Probably it is a Japanese willow, the biggest adornment of which is pink leaves. In this case, each plant is subject to an adjective in order to enhance the intensity of the sign of color. The problem of understanding color can be caused by referring to specific elements of the culture of a particular country.

potpourri pink - is shown in pink (W.)

sunrise pink - is shown in pale pink (W.)

neon flamingo - is shown in pink (W.)

exotic ruby - is shown in dark red (W.)

Paying attention to the peculiarities of grammatical construction, lexemes are expressed by a phrase - an adjective with a noun or two nouns. In English, the term «potpourri» is a mixture of dried rose petals or other flowers with spices stored in a jar for their aroma. The word «pink» helps to understand that the mixture consists of flowers of red and pink shades.

The following units are included to the category «blue»:

quince - is shown in turquoise (W.)

silver pine - is shown in dark turquoise (M.)

cornflower - is shown in blue (M.)

new green tea - is shown in light turquoise (M.)

The units of this group come from the names of plants. It is unusual that the color name «quince» corresponds to the turquoise color. Again, this is probably a type of Japanese quince, so there are misunderstandings about the definitions. In terms of grammar two units are expressed by a noun, and the other two - by the phrase of noun and adjective.

ultramarine - is shown in blue (W.)

deep cobalt - is shown in blue (M.)

tourmaline - is shown in dark turquoise (M.)

fantasy aqua - is shown in light turquoise (W.)

perfect turquoise - is shown in turquoise (W.) The group of these color names is directly related

to natural substances and minerals and belongs to those that transmit color shades analytically (based on the application of analysis). In this case, these units by the method of transmission of shades belong to the terminological color names according to Yu. Dyupina (Дюпина, 2013: 220). The unit «deep cobalt» is grammatically expressed by a phrase - an adjective with a noun to express the intensity of the sign of color, «fantasy aqua» - a noun phrase.

East Side royal - is shown in blue (W.)

Aruba - is shown in blue (W.)

The East Side is a large area of Manhattan, which is bordered by the East River. Thus, it becomes clear why «East Side royal» is associated with the color blue. The adjective «royal» is used to emphasize the depth of color. Color is expressed by the combination of an adjective with a noun. Aruba is a small island in the southern Caribbean Sea. Grammatically, the color name is expressed by a noun - namely the proper name.

lagoon - is shown in turquoise (M.)

galaxy - is shown in dark blue (W.)

sail - is shown in blue (W.)

dark night - is shown in dark blue (W.)

navy - is shown in dark blue (W.)

marine - is shown in dark blue (W.)

The semantics of this group of color names is the basis of their symbolism and is the source of numerous associations that make them an element of the figurative structure of objects.

true indigo - is shown in dark blue (W.)

elysian blue - is shown in dark blue (W.)

Color names consist directly of colors and adjectives that enhance their metaphorical meaning, creating certain shades. According to Yu. Dyupina, «true indigo» is a peripheral color name that refers to borrowed units.

fall royal - is shown in blue (M.)

«Royal blue» is one of the trend colors of weddings in the autumn of 2014, which corresponds to the color blue. Consequently, they decided to combine the words «fall» and «royal» in order to get the specified color and be sure to indicate that it is a modern shade of autumn 2014.

The following are the units of the category «green» based on the material of online stores:

black moss - is shown in gray-green (W.)

avocado - is shown in gray-green (W.)

olive - is shown in gray-green (W.)

desert cactus - is shown in dark green (M.)

sycamore - is shown in gray-green (M.)

The above units are grammatically expressed by a noun, noun phrase or phrase (noun with an adjective) and they all come from plant names.

emerald - is shown in dark green (W.)

This color corresponds to the color of the gemstone, which has a distinctive shade.

tropical - is shown in green (W.)

admiral - is shown in gray-green (W.)

The following color names can be attributed to the category «yellow»:

apricot - is shown in yellow (W.)

wheat - is shown in light yellow (W.)

lemon - is shown in light yellow (W.)

The lexemes of this group come from the names of plants, mostly fruits. These color names in clothing correspond to those we see their prototypes in nature (in terms of color).

hot mess - is shown in orange-yellow (M.)

"Hot mess" is the name of an American burger, which makes it clear why this color is depicted in orange-yellow color: fried onions, American cheese and yellow mustard express the appropriate shade. The problem of perception of this color name may rise due to limited knowledge of other culture.

gravel - is shown in light-brown (W.)

sand - is shown in light-brown (M.)

These color names, which are expressed by nouns, are directly related to natural substances and minerals. Units belong to terminological color names.

coastal beige - is shown in light-brown (M.)

iconic khaki - is shown in light-brown (M.)

light ivory - is shown in beige (W.)

Units consist directly of certain shades and adjectives that enhance their metaphorical meaning, creating non-standard colors.

oatmeal heather - is shown in beige (W.)

latte - is shown in light-brown (W.)

classic camel - is shown in brown (M.)

tobacco - is shown in brown (M.)

bungee cord - is shown in brown (M.)

The names of color names were formed from the names of products, animals, plants that have a characteristic color. The lexemes of this group, namely «latte», «tobacco», are expressed by a noun, and the rest - a combination of nouns or adjectives with a noun, which allows intensifying the image of color.

Madison tan - is shown in brown (W.)

Noun phrase of a possessive nature is the name of the famous American solarium, where people go tanning. Therefore, as human skin turns brown after tanning procedures, the meaning of this color name becomes clear. The main value of color is conveyed by the second component "tan", while the first does not so much intensify the color feature, as it gives the name of culturally specific originality.

The following units can be referred to the category «gray»:

charcoal - is shown in gray (W.)

steel - is shown in gray (M.)

granite - is shown in gray (M.)

ironstone - is shown in gray (M.)

metallic - is shown in light-gray (M.)

These colors are expressed by nouns and are directly related to natural substances, rocks, minerals and alloys. These units by the method of transmission of shades refer to terminological color names.

dove - is shown in light-gray (M.)

pavement - is shown in dark-gray (M.)

antique pewter - is shown in light-gray (M.)

new heather grey - is shown in light-gray (W.)

urban grey jungle - is shown in light-gray (W.)

new shadow - is shown in gray (M.)

The semantics of color names of this category are a source of associations. Two lexemes of this group («dove», «pavement») are expressed by a noun, and the rest - by combining an adjective with a noun to express the intensity of the color image.

The following is the category «black»:

obsidian - is shown in gray (M.)

Obsidian is a dark volcanic rock. We can see a clear parallel and similarity between black and this mineral. The lexeme is expressed by a noun.

moonless night - is shown in black (M.)

A night that is not illuminated by moonlight and starlight is associated with darkness, in other words, we imagine it in dark black colors. The token is expressed by a combination of adjective and noun.

The following units can be attributed to the category «orange»:

Lady Danger - is shown in orange (W.)

The color designation "Lady Danger" draws parallels with the fire, and therefore corresponds to the orange color. The lexeme is expressed by a phrase - an adjective and a noun.

Fire Rooster - is shown in orange (M.)

The semantic feature of color is conveyed by the noun «fire», while the component «rooster» does not intensify it, but adds originality and imagery, turning the name as a whole into a symbol of 2017 according to the Chinese horoscope - Fire Rooster.

persimmon - is shown in orange (M.)

shell peach - is shown in light orange (W.)

The above color names come from the names of plants. Grammatically, the color name «persimmon» is expressed by a noun, and «shell peach» - a noun phrase of a possessive nature.

The last is category «purple»:

eggplant - is shown in purple (W.)

The color name is grammatically expressed by a noun and comes from the name of the plant, namely the vegetable.

dusty mauve - is shown in pinky-purple (M.)

The color name consists of a shade and an adjective, which enhances its metaphorical meaning, creating an unusual color name.



Conclusion

Based on the results of the analysis it is concluded that the meanings of some color names have a special relationship that arises between certain phenomena, objects and components. This natural connection is an association. A number of unique color names come from the names of plants, animals, minerals, etc. The problem of understanding some colors is determined by the national-cultural specifics, which rises due to limited knowledge of another culture. Grammatically, color names are expressed mainly by nouns or noun phrases (which is a characteristic feature of word formation in English) or combinations of nouns and adjectives.



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