Publication Details
Abstract
It has been argued that color names not only function as lexical units but also as cultural codes, embodying particular national worldviews, value systems, and symbolic meanings embedded into the language. It is stated that within both Uzbek and Russian linguoculture, achromic color names are widely used in paremiological units and represent moral, aesthetic and psychological perceptions based on dichotomous oppositions related to the conceptual opposition such as good versus evil. Though color symbolism, linguoculture and scale of research works have been analyzed, so little attention is paid to the comparative study of comparative achromatic color components as carriers of national-culture codes in paremiology of Uzbek and Russian. The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the linguistic-cultural features of six achromatic color names in the proverbs of the Uzbek and Russian proverbs based on their conceptual, figurative, and evaluative functions. The analysis shows that the white black dichotomy acts as a default cognitive model in the two languages, verbalizing universally the moral oppositions but also reflecting nationally specific readings that are aligned with the dynamics of historical memory and cultural values. Achromatic lexemes serve as cultural codes that make abstract concepts intangible and increase the didactic and psychological impact of the paraemic unit. This research revises the framework for the achromatic color terms as linguocultural codes within paremiological structures of two languages. The results add to the body of research in cognitive linguistics and linguoculturology, providing insights into the intra-national deviations of cultural coding and through analysis of proverbs, how national conceptual systems are maintained and passed down through the generations.