CC BY
20A.Yu. Tukhvatullina
COGNITIVE BASEMENT OF COLOR METAPHOR
Keywords: color metaphor, cognitive metaphor, color value, poetry, symbols, language tools, source domain, target domain.
Abstract: The Article dwells upon the issue of color metaphors in poetic texts. The purpose of this article is the definition of the color metaphors phenomenon in the language system and text. Based on the analysis of poetry in this article color metaphor was identified as a particular form of cognitive metaphors. The practical implication of the work resides in the fact that its results can be used in such academic disciplines as cognitive linguistics, lexicology, stylistics, text linguistics, and others.
Ключевые слова: колористическая метафора, когнитивная метафора, значение цвета, поэтические произведения, символы, языковые средства, сфера-источник, сфера-мишень.
Аннотация: Статья посвящена вопросам колористической метафоры в поэтических текстах. Целью данной статьи является определение феномена колористической метафоры в системе языка и текста. На основе анализа поэтических произведений в данной статье колористическая метафора была выявлена в качестве отдельного вида когнитивной метафоры. Практическая значимость работы заключается в том, что ее результаты можно использовать в таких научных и учебных дисциплинах, как когнитивная лингвистика, лексикология, стилистика, лингвистика текста и других.
In modern linguistics, a significant place is given to metaphor in language and text, and a considerable amount of work is devoted to it, in particular work of Kozhevnikova, which states that the metaphor in poetic text was viewed from various positions: semantic, structural, and cognitive [2]. In addition, there was proved the necessity of this approach which would take into account the specifics of the metaphor use in different functional styles. As a result, figurative-aesthetic metaphor was selected, providing the recipient artistic effect, which contributes to the recipient such a relationship to the world, in the range of beautiful or ugly categories [5]. This kind of metaphors (figurative-aesthetic) is the most appropriate to determine the phenomenon, which we refer to as "coloristic metaphor" used to create complex poetic image. As the authors of poetic works in the color selection are to be guided primarily by aesthetic reasons to describe the image more attractive. In works describing landscape and floral patterns, this is reflected in the selection of colors, traditionally considered to be the most beautiful and calling a pleasant aesthetic experience.
In the basis of many figurative expressions with color component in the analyzed poetical works lies cognitive metaphor. In the cognitive vision the metaphor retains the basic principle of metaphor as a stylistic device: the expression of the phenomena in terms of another kind. At the same time cognitive metaphor is used to express very complex concept of the main idea: understanding, the experience of complex processes, images, phenomena in terms of another, more comprehensible kind of phenomena.
Concerning colors, it is an objective feature of the world around us. However, the color, although is an objective property of material subjects, however, has some psychological stress that can affect human emotions and even on his physiological state. Despite the fact that the color is the basic characteristic of the world, the representative of each nation sees the world in their own way, within their mentality and national culture.
Since ancient times, in the culture of all peoples a certain gamma of favorite colors began to develop. The national colors historically understandable and traditional, they correspond to the character and temperament of the people, the surrounding nature: red-yellow-black color of the Spaniards and calm blue and white colors of the Finns. The closer to the equator, the more hanker of people to use the bright color combinations [4].
In the poetic works the authors use different colors for the painting the emotions, actions, feelings, as well as directly to describe objects and actions of the lyrical heroes. In the examples used in this article, the authors took the following colors: red, white, blue, olive (green). Let us consider the color value in English culture.
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The red color. Originally, in English culture, the red color meant the pain, anger, blood, war, and death. Red is also the color of love, health and virility. The concept of red as the color goes back to something wonderful and enjoyable. For example, as red as a rose - beautiful, attractive. The red color may reflect the character of fun and enjoyment: to paint the town red - to go and have an extremely good time. In the examples used in the article red color concept has a positive component.
The white color. The white color already in ancient times was selected as the unique color. White color has been widely used in religion. Druids' clothing, later priests was always white, which meant tranquility and purity.
Since antiquity white had a meaning of aspiration to spiritual simplicity. In Christian tradition the white represents the relationship with the divine light. In the white clothes the angels and saints were portrayed. In some nations kings wore white clothing to symbolize the solemnity and grandeur.
The blue color. As Goethe said, the blue belongs to the "passive" color series. It is the opposite of yellow, and the darkest in the spectrum, the most sad, serious, melancholy; it has a sedative effect, and in more cases - even depressing [6].
In European culture the blue color represents constancy, loyalty, justice, perfection, and peace. Blue symbolizes heroism and superiority. Blue is associated with the Royal power and dignity of origin; the epithet blue blood is used for people of high descent.
The green color. In British countries, the green color means the excess, prosperity and stability. Money is also green. For example: green stuff or the long green - money. Sometimes green talks about the freedom of human actions: to give the green light - to give permission to do something. Green has such a symbolic value as decay, failure and frustration: the rub of the green - a piece of bad luck that has to be accepted; the grass is greener on the other side of the fence - about jealous people who never seem satisfied and always think that others have a better situation than they have. A particularly vivid symbolism of the color green is associated with health and youth: to keep the bones from green - to have the perfect health; to be in the green - to be full of energy and emotions [10].
Thus, each color carries certain information and reflects the character. The characters, in its turn, are implemented in the semantics of phraseological units. In addition, the color can express not only a certain concept, and a wide variety of seme, based on the character of a particular color.
One of the most important ways of knowing the national image is the metaphor. The primary means of a metaphor construction is a comparison principle, since two-sidedness of the subject is revealed when comparing it with other subjects. "The most fundamental cultural values are consistent with the metaphorical structure of the basic concepts of a given culture" [3].
We found that the authors of poetic texts use language tools with the bright colors lexicon to create an attractive image, a pleasant aesthetic sensation. Let us analyze the example of a color metaphor use, which is, by definition, the color cognitive metaphor, in a poem by John Boyle O'Reilly "White rose":
The red rose whispers of passion, And the white rose breathes of love; O, the red rose is a falcon, And the white rose is a dove.
But I send you a cream-white rosebud With a flush on its petal tips; For the love that is purest and sweetest Has a kiss of desire on the lips [8].
The analysis of this poem shows that a complex image of love is created by using different forms of metaphor. Metaphor appears as a stylistic device (red rose whispers :: the white rose breathes), and as more complex, the essential image of love that is expressed through color cognitive metaphors (red rose :: falcon, white rose :: dove). Color metaphor in this poem emerges by contrasting two colors, red and white. The red color is a symbol of passion (red rose whispers of passion) and love is described through the image of the Falcon as a symbol of fearlessness, courage, vitality (red rose is a falcon). When comparing love with the flower bud, the bright color (flush on petals) is characterized by the highest degree of the passion feelings appearance (kiss of desire). In the juxtaposition of love as passion, described in red tones, the love is seen through light colors: white, cream (white rose breathes of love, cream-white rosebud) as symbols of purity and tenderness; in the image of the dove (white rose is a dove) as a symbol of peace, tranquility, completely the opposite of passion.
The manifestation of cognitive color metaphors in this poem are also such language features that characterize the unity of passion and tenderness (passion: flush on petals; love: cream-white rosebud, love sweetest, purest has a kiss of desire). Let us view this phenomenon in a graphic form:
Table 1
The source domain (image of rose) The target domain (image of love)
The red color (red rose, falcon, flush on petals) The red color (whispers of passion, kiss of desire)
The white color (white rose, dove, cream-white rosebud) The white color (breathes of love, purest, sweetest)
As we can see, the source domain of this poem is the color characteristics of the rosebud, and the target domain is a description of complex, multi-faceted image of love.
Let us consider another use of color metaphor in the work by George Byron «She walks in beauty, like the night».
She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes: Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less, Had half impaired the nameless grace Which waves in every raven tress, Or softly lightens o'er her face; Where thoughts serenely sweet express How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow, So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, The smiles that win, the tints that glow, But tell of days in goodness spent, A mind at peace with all below, A heart whose love is innocent! [7].
In this example it is remarkable from the source domain point of view the use of the person's experience, his knowledge about the relative qualities of concepts such as day and night. In this poem the bright colors carry a negative meaning, and dark on the contrary, acquire positive component.
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Using the color cognitive metaphors created the image of a girl that looks strictly and starchy, but sheds light and heartedness. In this example, a color metaphor is presented as an opposition of day (gaudy day) and night (like the night), dark (best of dark) and bright tones (tenderlight), dance of light and shadow. The girl's standoffish outer beauty is coded by the lexis of rich, dark colors of the night "Darkness" (cloudless climes, best of dark), and her soft, inner light by using the lexis indicating the dullness of bright colors of the day "Lightness" (tender light, ray, softly lightens). It should be noted that the dark color of the night used by the author not to emphasize the negative aspect, but only to emphasize the beauty of the girl (best of dark, she walks in beauty like the night). Let us view this phenomenon in a graphic form:
Table 2
The source domain (image of life experience) The target domain (image of girl)
Darkness (best of dark, shade) Darkness (like the night, raven tress)
Lightness (gaudy day) Lightness (softly lightens, tender light)
Thus, as against to the previous poem, it is seen also in Table 2 that both the target and the source domains are more complex in the description. The author's experience in the source d omain is not only a sensual and visual perception, but also more complex human experience, not only in space but also in the time sphere. Therefore the color metaphor, as a target domain creates us an image of beauty, with a multi-level characteristic.
Let us analyze another example. In this example, Robert Lowell in his work "Father's bedroom" uses bright colors (blue, white, olive), by means of which he creates the images that are pleasing for the aesthetic perception.
In my Father's bedroom: Blue threads as thin As pen-writing on the bedspread, Blue dots on the curtains, A blue kimono,
Chinese sandals with blue plush straps.
The broad-planked floor
Had a sandpapered neatness.
The clear glass bed-lamp
With a white doily shade
Was still raised a few
Inches by resting on volume two
Of Lafcadio Hearn's
Glimpses of unfamiliar Japan.
Its warped olive cover
Was punished like a rhinoceros hide.
In the flyleaf:
'Robbie from Mother.'
Years later in the same hand:
'This book has had hard usage
On the Yangtze River, China.
It was left under an open
Porthole in a storm [9].
In the poem a complex image of homesickness, relationship between father and son, their love for each other are the target domain. The source domain is the color scheme of lyric heroes'
home, description of father's room, the smallest details recreated in memory (Blue threads, Blue dots, blue plush straps, white doily shade, olive cover).
The main color in the system of cognitive color metaphors of this poem is blue. It should be noted that the use of blue color by the author to express his feelings due to cultural specificity of the English language and English culture.
In English expressions with the word blue are often used. For example, to be in the blue -to be sad, be depressed; came out of the blue - very unexpectedly [11]. America gave the world the saddest trend in music - blues. Blues is nothing more that the sadness of a kind person. However, this is not so much a cultural-historical tradition, but a human psychology. As described in the scientific literature, in its physiological effects blue lowers blood pressure, reduces heart rate and breathing rhythm, calms and relaxes [1].
This complex image transmitted through the experience of the lyric hero, which is particularly clear to any Englishman, for which blue is the color of the sea, surrounding, color, and melancholy reverie.
The olive in this poem is used as a tint of the green color and carries the meaning of youth and energy. Such a conclusion can be drawn from the reference about the author's travel in the storm.
Let us consider this complex web of images and events in graphic form.
Table 3
The source domain (detailed descriptions) The target domain (color scheme of the room)
Pen-writing on the bedspread, Chinese sandals, broad-planked floor, sandpapered neatness, clear glass bed-lamp Blue threads, blue dots, blue plush straps, white doily shade, olive cover.
As can be seen from the above, in this example the cognitive color metaphor can not be easily distinguished. The source domain is the smallest details of the room and the target domain is the homesickness, the author's feelings and emotions.
This article covered the issues of cognitive color metaphors in poetic texts. The conducted research allows to conclude that in English poetry the authors remain the general tendency to use in the poetic texts the basic color words to pass the main idea. Using shades of colors had only complement value.
In the light of the analysis of poetic compositions it was revealed that cognitive color metaphor is based on the juxtaposition of dark and light tones without fixing positive or negative semantics for each of the colors. Being the frequently used means for creation the complex images, the cognitive color metaphor is based on human experience, which may reflect the national peculiarity of the world perception. Thus, the cognitive color metaphor (color metaphor) can be allocated as a separate type of cognitive metaphors.
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