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

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Ph.D. Student, Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

3 M.A. in Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

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.

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References

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Research in Western Iranian Languages and Dialects
Volume 14, Issue 2
July 2026
Pages 47-60

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