TULIP COLOUR IN THE COLOUR CONCEPTOSPHERE OF THE FLORAL SPACE OF THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE: RED OR BLACK?

Abstract

The article presents the results of a polydiscursive research (the material is lexicographic sources, data of associative experiment, K. Paustovsky’s prose, data of the Russian National Corpus, advertising texts), devoted to the reconstruction of the segment of the colour conceptosphere of the floral space of the Russian language on the material of tulip colour descriptions. The composition of colour terms significant in plant visualization was established (32); a number of ways of conveying colour impression was revealed (20 colour composites; 10 colour sequences of different modification, etc.); colour dominants were established; the ways of expanding the colour range were described; the combinability of colour terms was revealed; the specificity of colouristic descriptions was revealed, which consists in conveying the intensity of colouring, in the contamination of colour and light components, in the evaluative nature of descriptions; the functional potential of plant descriptions based on the colour component was described, which is implemented in the ontological, nomenclature-classifying, expressive-expressive, culturological function, in the function of colour chronotope creating: colour spatial dimension (in the creation of colour space of nature, man, city, country, creativity, dream, etc.) and colour temporal dimension (temporal coordinate “Time of the year”, “Time of day”), in the prototypical function.

Extended Abstract

The cultural and axiological potential of the fund of phytonymic lexicon, along with the stable connection between plants and color noted by V.G. Kul'pina, underpins our scientific interest in reconstructing a segment of the color conceptosphere within the floristic space of the Russian language. This research, which aims to describe the specifics of the coloristic representation of the tulip based on material from various discourses (lexicographic sources, data from a directed associative experiment, works by K.G. Paustovsky, data from the National Corpus of the Russian Language, and advertising texts), continues a theme we are developing in the field of florosemantics of color.

The cultural potential of the chosen coloristic descriptions is undeniable. For instance, O.Yu. Elina, studying plant iconography in Russia, references the icon "The Enclosed Vertograd" by Nikita Pavlovets (c. 1670), which depicts a garden of tulips, noting that the depiction shows tulips were already introduced and cultivated in Russia by the 17th century, with the icon showing color diversity—yellow and red tulips—potentially from observation or due to the artist's palette. K.I. Sharafadina notes the tulip became a poetic metonymy for Eastern culture in late 18th-century Europe. M. Yakhayapur, in a comparative analysis, highlights the tulip's symbolism in Iranian culture as representing the blood of martyrs. V.G. Kul'pina, discussing color ethno-priorities and stereotypes, cites a poem where tulips color the steppe scarlet, a beloved color in Russia.

The main body of the research analyzes the color of the tulip across different discourses. Lexicographic definitions primarily emphasize 'bright coloration' and beauty, with the Great Soviet Encyclopedia being a key source listing specific colors (white, yellow, red, orange, variegated, purple, black). A directed associative experiment with 611 respondents revealed a spectrum of 35 color associations, with red (182 reactions) and yellow (173 reactions) as the dominant responses, followed by white, pink, and purple. The corpus of K.G. Paustovsky's works primarily features descriptions based on the color term black, often in a classificatory function.

Analysis of the NCRL's main corpus (over 210 contexts) identified 30 significant color terms for describing tulips. The dominant term here is black (45 instances), followed by red (37) and yellow (30). The spectrum is broad, including composite terms and verbs denoting color manifestation. These descriptions often carry expressive, evaluative, and sometimes gendered connotations. The Poetic Subcorpus of the NCRL shows a different dominant: scarlet, with a smaller spectrum of 11 color terms and no recorded composites.

The functional potential of these color descriptions is vast, realized in ontological, classificatory-nomenclatural, expressive, and culturological functions. They are crucial for creating a color chronotope, encompassing both spatial dimension (describing natural landscapes, the human body, clothing, social spheres, urban spaces, art, war, symbolic spaces, and dreams) and temporal dimension (associating tulips with seasons and times of day). The prototypical function involves the use of the terms "tulip" and "red tulip" as color names, though their usage in advertising discourse is currently limited and inconsistent compared to other phytonym-based color terms.

In conclusion, the study identifies a quantitative and qualitative composition of 32 color terms significant in describing the tulip. The dominant colors vary by discourse: red (associative experiment), black (Paustovsky, NCRL main corpus), and scarlet (NCRL poetic corpus). It describes methods of conveying color impression through composites and sequences, an expanded spectrum via meta-lexemes and words denoting intensity/bloom, and specific combinability patterns. The creation and function of these descriptions are characterized by intensity, light-color contamination, evaluative nature, and potential gender correlation. Their functional potential is realized across multiple functions. The results contribute to a comprehensive description of a segment of the color conceptosphere within the Russian language's floristic space and have practical significance for specialists in information, communication, branding, and advertising.