Semantics of White in Folklore Text: A Linguocultural Aspect (A Case Study of Kalmyk Folktales Recorded by G. J. Ramstedt)

Introduction. Color terms constitute a most archaic lexical stratum of any language. Being characterized by vivid ethnocultural specifics, those serve as important elements to the linguistic view of the world. In nature color is an objective and independent phenomenon, while in culture and language color perceptions turn completely subjective. Differences in mentality, unique material culture inherent to each and every ethnos that lives in particular natural surroundings — all the factors have their impacts on color perceptions. And there are virtually no works to have investigated color in the Kalmyk language, i.e. comprehensive studies of color terms still remain in the periphery of Kalmyk linguistics. Goals. The paper analyzes Kalmyk folktales recorded by the Finnish scholar G. J. Ramstedt for a key color symbol — white — in a linguocultural perspective. Results. Traditionally, Mongolic peoples tend to view white as the main color of the spectrum. The comparative analysis of the lexeme цаһaн (Kalm. ‘white’) reveals a number of specific features attributed to the examined color term in unrelated languages (Kalmyk and German). The study concludes that the Kalmyk lexeme comprises a wider range of meanings. It denotes colors of visually perceived objects, and the color scope includes shades from ‘snow white’ to ‘grey’, while in German — from ‘sharply white’ (Germ. blendendweiß) to ‘silver’ (Germ. silber).

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