COLOR TERMS AS EMOTIONAL MARKERS IN CHINESE AND ARMENIAN: A COMPARATIVE SEMANTIC AND CULTURAL STUDY

Abstract

This study investigates color terms as emotional markers in Chinese and Armenian from a comparative semantic and cultural perspective. While color perception is grounded in universal physiological processes, the emotional and symbolic extensions of color terms are shaped by historically and culturally specific conceptualizations. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Berlin and Kay’s theory of basic color terms, Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor theory, and Wierzbicka’s cultural semantics, the research examines the metaphorical and phraseological uses of selected core colors—red, white, black, green, and yellow—in both languages.

The analysis demonstrates that certain color–emotion mappings, such as redness associated with anger or shame, reflect embodied cognitive motivations shared across cultures. However, significant divergences emerge in symbolic and evaluative meanings. Red symbolizes happiness and prosperity in Chinese, but love, sacrifice, and religious significance in Armenian. White and black display a striking inversion: white is linked to mourning in Chinese but to purity in Armenian, whereas black functions as the principal color of mourning in Armenian culture.

The findings highlight the dynamic interplay between perceptual experience and sociocultural factors in the semantic evolution of color terms. By focusing on the understudied Chinese–Armenian language pair, the study contributes to contrastive linguistics, cognitive semantics, and intercultural communication, emphasizing the importance of cultural awareness in translation and cross-cultural interpretation.

Key words: color terms; emotional markers; cultural semantics; Chinese language; Armenian language; color symbolism; intercultural communication.