دانشگاه رازی مطالعات زبان‌ها و گویش‌های غرب ایران 2345-2579 14 2 2026 06 22 Color-Related Conceptual Metaphors in Azerbaijani Turkish Proverbs and Idioms: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach Color-Related Conceptual Metaphors in Azerbaijani Turkish Proverbs and Idioms: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach 47 60 4258 10.22126/jlw.2026.13674.1887 FA Ramin Golshaie Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0001-7300-6727 Maryam Pirzadeh Ph.D. Student, Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. 0009-0007-6966-7507 Fereshteh Nourzadeh M.A. in Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran. 0009-0003-4061-3776 Journal Article 2026 02 24 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 120 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 14,000 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 76 instances, and was predominantly associated with negative domains such as sorrow, hardship, misfortune, poverty, death, shame, and deceit. White occurred in 27 instances and primarily conveyed positive meanings, including purity, honesty, happiness, honor, and prosperity. Red (6 instances), yellow (3 instances), and mixed colors (6 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. 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 120 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 14,000 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 76 instances, and was predominantly associated with negative domains such as sorrow, hardship, misfortune, poverty, death, shame, and deceit. White occurred in 27 instances and primarily conveyed positive meanings, including purity, honesty, happiness, honor, and prosperity. Red (6 instances), yellow (3 instances), and mixed colors (6 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. https://jlw.razi.ac.ir/article_4258_6ea6f700ee77c7ee08c46a8b9318f5b9.pdf