Color terms as a way to categorize artistic reality (based on the novel by Lion Feuchtwanger «The ugly duchess»)

Ryndina Yuliya ORCID: 0000-0003-0276-6213 PhD in Pedagogy Associate Professor of the Department of Russian and foreign Philology, cultural studies and methods of teaching, P.P. Yershov Ishim Pedagogical Institute (branch) of Tyumen State University 627750, Russia, Tyumenskaya oblast', g. Ishim, ul. Lenina, 1, kab. 38 y.v.ryndina@utmn.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

         Being one of the most significant landmarks of human behavior, color has been repeatedly reinterpreted and studied in linguistics, foreign language linguodidactics, intercultural communication, philosophy, psychodiagnostics, anthropology, neurophysiology, architecture and other sciences. Representations of the concept "color" are color designations (or color names, color vocabulary).

         To date, there are six main areas of research based on the material of "color" vocabulary: historical, lexico-semantic, grammatical, cognitive, functional and comparative. A multidimensional approach to the study of color meanings is associated with the processes of cultural globalization and integration that are actively taking place at the present time.

         The relevance of this study is due to the fact that the linguistic representation of color meanings in the novel by Lion Feuchtwanger "Die hliche Herzogin" allows us to understand both the writer's idiosyncrasy and the cultural meanings of his work, as well as the peculiarities of color perception of representatives of German linguoculture. Since the color-signifying vocabulary in the analyzed novel has not previously been subjected to independent linguistic study, this determines the novelty of this study.

         To date, a sufficient number of diverse studies have been accumulated in the field of studying color names in language and literary text. Based on the material of the German language, coloronyms are considered from the point of view of their origin and development of meanings (N. V. Zimin) ^[8], features of use in proverbs and phraseological units (L. G. Vinichenko, N. V. Gordeeva, M. I. Doynikova, S. V. Kuznetsova) ^{[2, 4, 6]}, axiological and text-organizing potentials (I. I. Khripunov) ^[16], word-formation and semantic processes of lexico-semantic groups (O. V. Matasova, O. A. Ufimtseva) ^[12], syntagmatic characteristics (E. A. Khabibulina) ^[15], comparative analysis (I. I. Spiridonova) ^[13].

         The purpose of this work, which is the initial stage of the study of the conceptual sphere "color" in the German language picture of the world, was to identify and describe the color-signifying vocabulary in L. Feuchtwanger's novel "Die h?ssliche Herzogin". From the text, by total sampling, we found 20 lexemes that explicitly express color or include implicitly transmitted color semes. We believe that this study can complement, on the one hand, the already existing works on this topic (V. Berndt ^[17], S. J. Gasymova ^[3], G. Ya. Gefti ^[19], I. T. Izotov ^[9]), on the other hand, will allow us to consider the features of the work of one of the brightest representatives of German literature in a new perspective.

         In a work of art, the color-signifying vocabulary is an important source of intellectual, socio-historical and emotional-evaluative information about the linguistic picture of the world of a particular people. Native speakers of different languages often perceive and rethink color in different ways. As a result, the color-signifying vocabulary can have "not only a direct, but also a figurative (symbolic) meaning, performing secondary semantic functions and containing national-cultural connotations" ^{[5, p. 137]}.

          Linguists often face the problem of selecting and classifying color lexemes. In this paper, we will rely on the classification of color values by A. A. Bragina, which distinguishes absolute and shade color values. The linguist refers to the absolute color lexemes as "three achromatic color designations (black, white, gray) and seven chromatic colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue and purple)" ^{[1, p. 74]}. According to A. A. Bragina, tint color adjectives are "adjectives of secondary nomination (lilac, milk), adjectives without a clearly traceable etymology (brown, scarlet), adjectives with limited compatibility (blond, brown) and others" ^{[1, p. 74]}.

         I. V. Makeenko also identifies "complex adjectives with formants of color names bright, light, dark, tender, clarifying the intensity of coloring; two-part adjectives representing the names of mixed colors or multicolored objects (blue-white, yellow-green)" ^{[11, p. 40]}. According to Yu. V. Dupina, "the classification of color-signifying vocabulary can also be supplemented with constructively complex color-designations (honey color, ivory color) and comparative turns (cheeks like poppies color)" ^{[7, p. 42]}.

         Color designations, accumulating national-cultural stereotypes and ideological meanings of the linguistic community, thanks to the author's imagination, serve to reproduce fragments of real reality and the artistic concept of the world in the text.

The main part

         Lion Feuchtwanger entered the history of German literature as a master of the historical novel of the first half of the twentieth century. His novels are characterized by special formal and substantive priorities: "they are, as it were, turned towards modernity, full of various hints and comparisons" ^{[14, p. 158]}. Using special style dominants, he reveals in his novels the problems of medieval society, which he witnessed himself: mores and customs, social differences, the struggle of social progress and regression. N. Leites writes: "Pushing into the background the internal social conflicts of the ancient world, L. Feuchtwanger portrays it as a kind of modern state based on capitalist economy" ^{[10, p. 279]}. The text of the novel we are analyzing is also imbued with historicism: ... sprach er davon, wie Leben und Wirklichkeit Geschichte wird, wie nichts bleibt vom Leben und Sein als Geschichte, und wie Geschichte der letzte Zweck alles Tuns ist und seine beste Basis ^[18]. / "... he spoke about how life and reality become history, as nothing is preserved from life and being, except history, and as history is the last goal of every action and its further primary basis" ^[3].

         The action of the novel "Die h?ssliche Herzogin", which appeared in 1923, takes place in the first half of the XIV century in the former center of Europe – in the German principalities of Tyrol and Bavaria. The book is based on the dramatic life story of Margaret, Duchess of Tyrol, who steadfastly passes "through a stormy, bloody, troubled time, saturated with strife and internecine strife of numerous German states" ^{[9, p. 70]}. The research of the German linguists V. Berndt, G. J. Gefti and G. Walter is devoted to the analysis of the novel. Scientists claim that by masterfully contrasting images of ugliness and beauty in the novel, L. Feuchtwanger very clearly shows the psychological state and purposefulness of a woman who is forced to develop all her talents and natural abilities in order to compensate for her ugly appearance and a sense of inferiority ^{[17, 19, 20]}. Margarita is a carrier of reason and spirituality. The unreason and lack of spirituality opposing Margarita "are personified in a two–faced image: Margarita's lover, the nobleman Frauenberg, a self–satisfied, cruel, self-serving man devoid of moral principles, and the seductive beauty Agnes von Flavon - these two evil geniuses who undermine all the Duchess's undertakings" ^{[9, p. 70]}. Describing the conflict between two rivals with the opposition of beauty and ugliness, the writer seeks to show the reader the struggle of regression and progress, internal and external unattractiveness, to awaken the reader's interest in the individual qualities of the main characters. According to G. Ya. Gefti, it is the desire to compensate for the missing qualities that can explain the actions of the main characters of the novel ^{[19, p. 70]}. G. Walter notes that thanks to the raising of this topic in L. Feuchtwanger's novel, "one third of his readers were able to draw sympathy and morality from the novel, and two thirds were happy for their best appearance" ^[20].

         The author strives to use various color categories both in descriptions of nature, clothing, objects of the surrounding world and the appearance of the characters of the novel, and as a means of conveying their emotions, moods and emotional experiences. All this allows the reader to understand not only the character traits of the heroes, but also to identify the peculiarities of the mentality and worldview of the Germans.

         The analysis of color values allowed us to conclude that the writer is traditional in choosing a color palette. The dominant color meanings in the analyzed work are ten root adjectives. According to the frequency of use in the novel, they are distributed as follows: blau – blue, light blue, azure, azure (32 times); grau – gray (22 times); wei? – white (20 times); schwarz – black (18 times); rot – red, scarlet, red (16 times); braun – brown, swarthy, brown (about eyes), chestnut (about hair), bay (about horse), tanned (13 times); violett – purple (3 times); gr?n – green (3 times); gelb – yellow (2 times); azurn – azure, bright-blue, sky blue, azure (1 time).

         As can be seen from the examples given, blue, gray, white, black, red and brown colors are most represented in the novel. Such quantitative inequality can be explained by the fact that the description of the characters' appearance dominates in the novel and therefore adjectives combined with the nouns Augen (eyes), Gesicht (face), Haar (hair), Haut (skin), H?nde (hands), Lippen (lips) are used more intensively.

         Let's take a closer look at the data obtained.

         The adjective blau is used to describe the eyes (blaue Augen / blue eyes), fabric (blaue Seide / blue silk) and the sky: Das Wetter hatte sich klar und blau angelassen ^[18]. / The sky turned out to be clear and blue. The use of this color designation in a figurative sense to denote something unreal, fantastic is also revealed: ... seine blauen k?hnen Pl?ne»  /  .. his fantastic, bold plans.

         The adjective grau is used mainly in the direct meaning to describe nature (... das erste graue Licht / ... the first gray light), eyes (seine grauen gescheiten Augen / his serious intelligent eyes), complexion (graue Haut / gray skin color). We also find an example of the use of an adjective in a simple meaning (... nasse, graue Traurigkeit / wet, gray despondency). In this example, the gray color symbolizes longing, hopelessness.

         The adjective wei ? is used only in the direct meaning to describe the landscape (die riesigen, wei ? en Bergw?nde / giant white rocky walls); the appearance of the heroes (wei ? e H?nde / white hands); houses (Das Haus strahlte ganz wei ?. / The house shone white).

         The adjective schwarz expresses mourning in the novel (schwarze Trauerkleidung / black mourning dress), is used to describe the plague, which is also called the "black death" (der schwarze Tod).

         In the novel we find an example of the opposition of black to white: Grell hob sich von dem schwarzen Gewand die weie Schminke ^[18]. / The black dress set off her face covered with white makeup.

         The adjective rot is used both in the direct meaning to describe the face, eyes and lips (rotes Gesicht, rote Augen, rote Lippen), and in the figurative meaning to express rage: Der Herzog lief rot an ^[18]. / The Duke turned purple...

         The adjective braun is used to describe appearance: Ein Winzerm?dchen kam ihnen entgegen, ... braun, h?bsch... ^[18]. / A grape picker was walking towards them ... dark, pretty... There is also the use of this adjective in the description of clothing items: ein Kleid aus dem schweren braunen Stoff / dress made of heavy brown fabric.

         The range of adjectives violett, gr?n, gelb, azurn is very narrow. They carry an explicit function in the work. Thus, the adjective violett is used to describe the clothing of the princes of the church (violett und lachsfarben die Ornate der geistlichen F?rsten / purple and salmon colors of the robes of spiritual princes) and mountains (Berge standen rotbraun und violett. / The mountains were red-brown and purple).

         The adjective gr ? n is used to describe water (gr ? nes Wasser / muddy green water) and clothing (die ?mel aus schwerem gr ? nem Atlas / sleeves made of heavy green satin).

          The adjective gelb is combined with the noun teeth (gelbe Z?hne / yellow teeth) and implicitly conveys this color in the description of a person's death: Jetzt lag er gelb und steif und tot... ^[18]. / Now he is lying yellow, numb, dead...

         The adjective azurn is used to describe the sky (azurner Himmel / azure sky).

         L. Feuchtwanger does not give a detailed, detailed description of the landscapes of nature, against which the plot of the novel develops. Most often these small strokes, color strokes expressed in one sentence: Die Berge standen rotbraun und violett, ganz oben wei ^[18]. / The mountains were red-brown and purple, completely white at the top. 

         Although the seme of a specific color is not represented in the semantic structure of the adjective bunt, but thanks to the seme "multicolorality" it serves to create a festive mood and color of the work. In most contexts, this adjective is used in the direct meaning: die bunten, l?rmvollen, menschenvollen St?dte / colorful, noisy, crowded cities. There is also a context with an implicit meaning: Seine Geschichten blieben f?r sie bunte, widerw?rtige L?gen ^[18]. / These stories continued to be colorful disgusting lies for her.

         Paying great attention to the appearance of his characters, L. Feuchtwanger repeatedly uses color designations in describing their most typical features. The repeated mention of the characteristic features of the appearance of any hero leads to the formation of the leitmotif of the portrait, which develops both on the basis of literal, lexical repetition, and synonymous, varied repetition.

         In the novel, all the characters are described using leitmotives. So, at the first mention of the main character – Duchess Margarita, the author highlights the following details of her appearance: Das kupferfarbene Haar war hart, spr?de, stumpf, ohne Glanz, die Haut kalkig grau, bllich, unrein, lappig ^[18]. / Her copper–colored hair was stiff, brittle, dull, without luster, her skin was lime-gray, pale, unclean, flabby.

         Creating the image of the seductive beauty Agnes von Flavon, the writer uses the epithets rosig (pink) and glatt (smooth), talking about her skin, the epithets blonde (blond) and leuchtend (shiny) – about hair.

         The repeatability of the characters' characteristics, including color adjectives, contributes to an in-depth interpretation of their images and is, in our opinion, one of the features of the writer's idiosyncrasy.

Conclusion

The color palette used in the novel reflects the essential aspects of the objective reality of the German society of the XIV century, of which the writer was a contemporary, but at the same time the connection with modernity is also traced. The dominant coloratives defining L. Feuchtwanger's idiosyncrasy are shades of blue, gray, white, black, red and brown, i.e. the basic palette of colors. It is worth noting that the relative frequency in the novel has lexemes that explicitly express color.

         The author strives to use various color categories both in coloristic descriptions of nature, clothing, objects of the surrounding world and the appearance of the characters of the novel, and as a means of conveying their emotions, moods and emotional experiences. With the help of various connotations of color meanings, L. Feuchtwanger solves two tasks in the novel: color-description helps to create a unique poetics of the work, and color-characteristic helps to reveal its main idea.

         The results obtained can be used in the development of courses on stylistics, linguoculturology and intercultural communication. In the future, the author plans to consider the functioning of the color-signifying vocabulary of the German language in different functional styles.