"Symbolism of color terms in the tales of Altaians and Tuvinians"

Abstract: The functioning of color terminology in texts of the Altai and Tuva peoples reveals ethno-linguistic patterns: the most stable linguistic expressions and archaic representations of color are documented in the epic oral traditions of these peoples and serve as an integral background for the complete representation of the linguistic worldview. If a specific color designation can denote one lexicosemantic group with one meaning, for example, the colory blue with words meaning 'sky' and 'sea', and an animal having a celestial or marine origin, lexemes with the meaning 'light', 'dark', 'red' demonstrate rather wide valency properties and semantic potential: ak örgöö ‘white palace’, ak ai as ‘ ‘white light, ak koböng ‘white cotton’, ak kiyis ‘white felt’, ak mal ‘white cow’, altyn kol ‘golden hands’, kara suu ‘black water*’ → ‘mountain spring’¹, kara buka ‘black bull’, kara kulak ‘black lion’, kыyzыl kan ‘red blood’. In oral folklore, highly recurrent and symbolically charged color terms are black, white, gold, and red. The "older" or more archaic a color is, the more multifaceted it manifests in its symbolic functions. Secondary colors (e.g., green and mixed pair colors) are more "realistic" in meaning, symbolically less charged, and restricted to fewer lexical items. Written monuments from the ancient Turkic era reflect rare occurrences of color terminology, with a limited set; these generally correspond to the basic colors: white, black, red, and less frequently – blue-green. The analysis of color terminology was conducted based on the Altai heroic epic "Maadai-Kara" and Tuvan tales "Boktu-Kirish," "The Fearless Khan-Khuluk," "Haimer-ool and the Bull-sized Wolf," considered masterpieces of the golden foundation of the epic heritage. These are a rich linguistic source for new research and directions. Methodological Basis. The methodological basis of this work comprises the ways and principles for studying the symbolism of color, realized using a linguocultural approach. The foundation for this direction in modern linguistics is based on the works of D.S. Likhachev and received further development from the works of A.A. Potemkin, A. Vezhbeevsky, A.N. Afanasyev, A.P. Vasil'evich, L.L. Gabysheva, N.L. Zhukovskaya, and other scientists researching language, thought, and culture as interconnected phenomena forming the core of any concept within the linguistic worldview. Research Methods. The work employs the following research methods: descriptive, comparative-associative (comparative-associative?), structural-semantic, and the approach of cultural phone interpretation.