Color-Related Conceptual Metaphors in Azerbaijani Turkish Proverbs and Idioms: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach

This study investigates color-related conceptual metaphors in Azerbaijani Turkish proverbs and idioms from a cognitive linguistic perspective. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory and the framework of Basic Color Terms, the study examined ۱۲۰ metaphorical expressions containing black (qara/qərə), white (ağ/aq), red (qırmızı), yellow (sarı), mixed color (ala), blue (göy), and green (yaşıl). The data were extracted from a corpus of approximately ۱۴,۰۰۰ proverbs and idiomatic expressions and were supplemented through fieldwork with native speakers in Tabriz. The findings indicated that black was the most frequent color term, with ۷۶ instances, and was predominantly associated with negative domains such as sorrow, hardship, misfortune, poverty, death, shame, and deceit. White occurred in ۲۷ instances and primarily conveyed positive meanings, including purity, honesty, happiness, honor, and prosperity. Red (۶ instances), yellow (۳ instances), and mixed colors (۶ instances) generally displayed negative polarity. This was evident in associations such as anger and passion for red, illness for yellow, and worthlessness and lack of identity for mixed colors. However, red occasionally conveyed positive concepts such as courage and dignity. Blue and green each occurred once metaphorically, linked to stability or fate and growth or prosperity, respectively. Overall, the results demonstrate systematic mappings between sensory experience and abstract emotional, moral, and social domains in Azerbaijani Turkish.

کلیدواژه ها:

Azerbaijani Turkish ، color term ، conceptual metaphor ، idiom ، proverb