THE PERCEPTION OF BLACK AND WHITE IN ENGLISH AND ARMENIAN IDIOMS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46991/AFA/2024.20.1.142

Keywords:

colour perception, colour symbolism, idioms, collocations, positive/negative connotation

Abstract

Colour is a silent language with the help of which people can communicate. It is rich in hidden meanings and symbolisms. We think of colour as an independent concept with a part to play in every aspect of our lives. Colour, as we know, does not exist in the outside world, beyond us, like gravity, protons and oxygen do. Instead, colour is created inside our heads. It is the characteristic of human visual perception. The recognition and interpretation of colour are determined by numerous factors: cultural, religious, spiritual, physiological, and psychological. Colour terms are widely used in phraseological units. Among most common ones are the idioms with the two opposite spectra – colours black and white. The present article discusses the perception of black and white in English and Armenian idioms. The current research is an attempt aimed at revealing the similarities and differences in these two languages through comparative-contrastive and descriptive methods of analysis.

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References

Nassau, K. (2001). The physics and chemistry of color: the fifteen causes of color. (2nd ed.). Imprint: New York, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Nassau, K. (1998). Color for science, art and technology: New York & Amsterdam. Elsevier Science.

Sources of Data

Thilak, F.S. (2010). Idioms and idiomaticity. Oxford University Press: Published by Dr. Chitra Fernando.

Hornby, A.S. (2005). Oxford Advanced learner’s dictionary of current English (7th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Kemertelidze N., & Giorgadze M. (2020). One approach to idioms and their peculiarities in the English language. European Scientific Journal, 16 (11) https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2020.v16n11p13

Wyler, S. (1992). Colour and language: colour terms in English. Tubingen: Gunter Narr.

Seferyan, S., & Lazaryan, A. (2005). Angleren-hayeren dardzvatsabanakan bararan [English-Armenian Phraseological Dictionary] (2nd ed.). Yerevan: Ankyunakar Publishing House. (in Armenian)

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Published

2024-05-15

How to Cite

Avagyan, N., & Nersisyan, N. (2024). THE PERCEPTION OF BLACK AND WHITE IN ENGLISH AND ARMENIAN IDIOMS . Armenian Folia Anglistika, 20(1 (29), 142–152. https://doi.org/10.46991/AFA/2024.20.1.142

Issue

Section

Culture Studies