Representation of the Green Color in Russian and French Linguo-Cultures

Chzhen Wenxuan Postgraduate student, Department of French Language and Culture, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Area Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, p. 13 tchzhen.vensyuan@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

In the field of comparative linguistics, many works compare different linguistic worldviews. It is worth highlighting the works of Gak, V. G. ^[2], Shakhbanova, A. R. ^[16], Pereslegina, E.R. ^[8]. It is also worth noting the series of works by Golovanivskaya, M.K. and Efimenko, N.A., dedicated to the basic concepts of Russian and French language worldviews.^[3][4][5]

The values of green in culture were also studied by Kharitonov, A.M. and Semukhina E.A. ^[15][9]. However, Kharitonov pays attention to the religious and mythological origins of green, and Semukhina explores the linguosemiotics of green in the French religious media discourse.

The green color in Russian has a rich semantics, covering a wide range of meanings and associations. This color is often associated with nature, spring and vitality.

In Russian linguoculture, green is used to denote the freshness and maturity of plants, which is reflected in expressions such as "green leaves" or "green spaces". It is also associated with the concept of environmental protection, as in the case of the Green Party or the Green Revolution.

In Russian phraseology, the green color can express a lack of experience, as in the case of the expressions "young-green" or "green youth". However, there are also positive associations, for example, "green years" mean the flowering of strength.

In the field of emotions, the color green can express fear, anger or envy, as in the expression "turn green with fear". Green is also associated with alcohol and money, where "green wine" can indicate vodka, and "green paper" - a banknote.

Green in Russian

In Ozhegov's leading linguistic dictionary of the Russian language, green acquires a primary meaning associated with nature and vegetation ^[11]. Based on this, this study carefully examines the initial connotations of green in the Russian language, focusing on its use in the context of designating plants and objects made from plant materials.

"Green tea" and "green food" are vivid examples of the use of green to denote various aspects of the plant world. In the first case, green is an attribute of the tea variety, deepening associations with natural origin and freshness. In the second case, "green food" refers to plants that serve as animal feed, emphasizing the importance of green in agriculture and interaction with the animal world.

The additional meaning of green is revealed in the phrase "green spaces", covering woody-shrubby and herbaceous plants. This concept not only reflects the richness of vegetation, but also highlights their contribution to improving the environment in urban spaces. In modern Russian, green is permeated with eco-discourse, becoming a symbol of environmental protection and ecological harmony.

By drawing attention to the green movement and the existence of the Kedr Ecological Green Party in Russia, we find that green is becoming a metaphor for democratic efforts to maintain a balance between man and the environment. Phraseological expressions such as "green gold"^[13], "green friend" and "green noise"^[1] introduce subtle shades into the lexicon, emphasizing the value and enriching role of green in culture and perception of nature.

Looking at a wide range of green colors, an example is the statement about the majority of unripe fruits on Earth, which are green (green tomatoes). This shows how language embodies the natural and biological features of the surrounding world, rooting color vocabulary in the richness of natural shades and reflecting them in cultural concepts.

In the context of using green to describe people's personality traits, there is a fragmentation of meanings that provides us with two figurative meanings. In the first case, the figurative meaning of the adjective "green" is aimed at characterizing inexperienced young people. Phraseological units such as "green youth", "green youth" and "young-green" effectively put images and concepts associated with immaturity and lack of experience into the language.

"Green as three rubles" ^[6] and "baby talk on a green lawn" ^[10] provide additional nuances, highlighting aspects of youth and frivolity that are characteristic of this category of people. In turn, the "green head" ^[13] expresses an outdated stereotype, describing an incompetent and narrow-minded person.

The second figurative meaning of green in the context of assessing complexion is associated with a physiological and emotional state. "Turning green with anger" represents a state of strong discontent, where a person's face acquires a pale green hue. "Green in the eyes" ^[1] and "green boredom/longing" ^[7] add depth to associations with color, indicating the turbidity of the gaze and tedious, unbearable boredom.

The phrase "green Christmas trees" ^[14] is an example of using green as an interjection, giving expression to annoyance or surprise. Here, green turns into an emotional marker, enhancing the shade of an emotional response.

Turning to the third aspect of the green color — its application to things colored green, another area of its use is revealed. The "green light" at the traffic light acts as a sign of permission for the movement of cars and pedestrians, bringing the image of control and regulation into the language. The "green light" on the taxi's flashlight indicates its availability. The "green paper" in pre-revolutionary vocabulary is a three-ruble credit card.

Continuing to consider the diverse aspects of the use of green in the Russian language, attention should be paid to its connection with alcohol. Here, green becomes a symbol for strong drinks and conditions associated with alcohol consumption.

"Green wine" and "green snake" are examples of colloquial terms for vodka and alcohol intoxication, respectively ^[13]. Especially expressive in this context is the expression "before the green snake", which describes a state of severe intoxication in which a person may even fall into hallucinations.

Turning to the field of gambling, phraseological units with the component "green" find their application. The "green Ship/field" embodies a card table and a card game where green becomes a color reflection of the playing field. The "green table", covered with green cloth, gives the atmosphere of the game a special aura ^[7].

In the sphere of argot of the Russian language, green acquires several contextual shades. In the vocabulary related to money, "green/ green" becomes the designation of fifty rubles, and "green cabbage" indicates the currency, in this case dollars. There are also expressions like "green stuff" or "vegetable oil stuff" used to refer to something bad or unworthy of attention.

"Green herring with melted milk" and "border greens" introduce humorous images associated with confusion and the military sphere into the lexicon. The first expression creates associations with uncertainty and confusion, and the second directly refers to the border troops through the green color of their shoulder straps.

Finally, in a historical context, the "green carriage" becomes an allusion to state-owned theatrical carriages, emphasizing their green coloring. The "Green Street" colloquially symbolizes unhindered passage, although in tsarist Russia it was used as a punishment in the army.

In the history of the Civil War, the "greens" were detachments of deserters and peasants hiding in the forests and participating in events against both whites and reds ^[12]. Thus, the green color becomes not only a linguistic tool for describing the surrounding world, but also a mirror of historical, cultural and social events.

Green in French

In French, like Russian, green is closely related to various aspects of everyday life and forms a rich lexical array. Examining the French linguistic palette, we find that the word "vert" covers a wide range of meanings and associations.

When it comes to finance, the phrase "Le billet vert" directly refers to the symbolism of the dollar ^[17]. This term expresses the influence of green on the monetary sphere and emphasizes its connection with the currency, bringing a special shade to the perception of money.

In the field of communications, the use of the expression "Le num?ro vert" reveals a unique meaning. This term refers to a phone number that can be called for free, and all the costs of the call are borne by the company. Thus, the green color becomes a metaphor for accessibility and free of charge ^[17].

Spatial concepts are also reflected in the French vocabulary. "L'espace vert" embodies green areas, oases of nature in an urban environment ^[17]. This expression gives the green color the meaning of landscaped and well-groomed places, creating positive connotations in the context of nature and ecology.

"Le d?chet vert" gives a new shade to the term "green" in the field of ecology and nature care. Here it refers to waste generated during the care of gardens and green spaces. Thus, the green color acquires associations with a sustainable lifestyle and responsibility for the environment ^[17].

"Le feuillage vert" and "Les pousses vertes" draw attention to natural elements, emphasizing the connection with the plant world. The first expression means green leaves, and the second one means young, green shoots, symbolizing freshness and growth.

In French culture, the association of green with the countryside and village life is also important. "Le tourisme vert" and "Se mettre au vert" reflect this relationship, pointing to rural tourism and rural recreation, respectively ^[17].

"La r?volution verte" transcends cultural and linguistic boundaries, describing the movement to spread modern methods in agriculture. It is also related to developing countries and the use of new technologies to improve agriculture ^[17].

"Les partis verts" and "Voter vert" emphasize the political aspect of green, pointing to parties and voting for the greens. This indicates how green is becoming a symbol of environmental orientation and concern for nature in the political arena ^[17].

"Le vin vert" and "Le fourrage vert" continue the theme of green in the field of agriculture. The first expression refers to a wine with a sour taste due to insufficient maturity of the grapes, emphasizing the connection with nature in the context of winemaking. The second, "green food", refers to fresh plants used in livestock feeding, and is contrasted with "dry food" ^[17].

Finally, the phraseological units "Des vertes et des pas m?res" and "En voir des vertes et des pas m?res" express the idea of green and unripe fruits in a figurative sense. These expressions are used to refer to shocking, upsetting situations or difficulties that one has to face ^[17].

The phrase "En voir des vertes et des pas m?res" from French literally translates as "to see some green and immature" and is used to describe a person who has experienced many difficulties and resentments. This expression emphasizes that a person has faced various negative situations and experiences.

In addition to this, the phrase "Ils sont trop verts. Il trouve les raisins trop verts" — "They are too green. He finds the grapes too green" also expresses a negative assessment related to inexperience or misunderstanding. In this case, the fox, unable to eat green grapes, chose to describe it as sour. This metaphorical use of green indicates dislike or disappointment in something immature or underdeveloped ^[18].

The green color in French turns out to be associated not only with the fields of finance, nature and agriculture, but also with sharp and sarcastic expressions.

The expression "Recevoir une verte r?primande" introduces the concept of a "green scold" into the linguistic picture, emphasizing the severity of the reprimand and the sharpness of the remarks. This term expresses not only the fact of the reprimand, but also its severity, adding an aspect of dislike and resentment to the green color ^[17].

The phrase "En dire des vertes et des pas m?res" reveals an aspect of the use of green in the context of sarcastic remarks. This expression means the utterance of unpleasant, obscene words, emphasizing the harshness and harshness of statements. This use of green color gives words a special character and indicates that we are talking about situations that cause indignation or shock ^[17].

When it comes to describing human emotions and states, the green color is also reflected. In the expression "?tre vert de peur", the use of green is associated with the physical manifestation of fear. The green face becomes a metaphor for fright and negative emotions, creating a vivid and memorable imagery ^[17].

"Le visage vert de froid" adds a new dimension to the use of green in the context of human expression. Here it denotes a green face caused by cold. This expression creates a visual image and describes the effect of cold on the human body, decorating the French language with a variety of images ^[17].

In the aspect of human individuality, green is closely related to age and vitality. "Un homme vert pour son ?ge" emphasizes the vivacity and cheerfulness of a person, despite his advanced age. Also in the literary field, "Un vert galant" describes a man of a certain age who remains adventurous in relationships with women. The green color becomes a symbol not only of vitality, but also of activity, giving the language exquisite images ^[17].

Thus, the French language surprisingly uses green in a variety of contexts, reflecting subtle shades of expression of feelings, emotions and socio-cultural characteristics. Green in the French language is not just a color, but a rich semantic range that gives expressiveness and depth to expressions in French.
          Conclusion

The study of the semantics of green in Russian and French allows us to identify several important aspects, common and different through the prism of the linguistic and cultural characteristics of each language.

The first common aspect is the connection of green with nature, plants and spring. In both languages, green is associated with chlorophyll plants, fresh grass and green foliage. This common background is revealed through expressions such as "Green Tea" and "le th? vert", which emphasizes the universality of color semantics.

The second aspect is the transfer of the meaning of green to environmental protection. In both languages, green becomes a symbol of environmental responsibility and respect for nature. The Green Party and les partis verts demonstrate similarities in the linguistic expression of this idea.

However, there are some differences in the interpretation of green in relation to youth. In Russian, green is associated with inexperience, while in French, for example, "les vertes ann?es" means the flowering of strength in youth. Such differences emphasize the cultural characteristics and contextualization of the meaning of color in each of the languages.

Negative emotions such as fear and feeling unwell are associated with green in both languages, which is expressed in "turn green with fear" and "?tre vert de peur", respectively. These aspects of color semantics unite cultures in a common linguistic perception of emotional states.

The green color also stands for "permission" and "free path" in both languages through the expressions "donner le feu vert" and "la voie verte". This unites cultures in understanding color as a symbol of resolution and advancement.

The similarity in the use of green in the designation of money and alcohol also highlights common features in linguistic perception. But at the same time, details such as "Cabbage green" and "le billet vert" emphasize the unique features of each language in this context.

Deepening our understanding of the interaction of language and culture in the designation of green, additional aspects arising from the considered phrasal units should be noted.

In French, due to its lexical flexibility, the designation "to have green fingers" is used to express admiration for those who masterfully handle horticultural art. This reflects the cultural emphasis on respect for gardening work and garden knowledge, which can serve as an example of how language embodies the values of society.

In Russian, green, in addition to its color value, acquires an interesting additional role in the context of playing cards. The terms "green ship/field" and "green table" refer to card tables and games, creating a linguistic bridge between language and gambling culture. This shows how the language interacts with various spheres of life and reflects them in its vocabulary.

It is also worth noting that the green light at the traffic light, originally created to control traffic, has acquired a new figurative meaning of "permission" in the languages of both cultures. This highlights how technological innovations and everyday phenomena have an impact on the semantics of color, introducing new associations and meanings.

In conclusion, the green color in Russian and French not only has similar color semantics, but also demonstrates diversity in interpretation and use. This emphasizes the linguistic beauty and uniqueness, and also reflects the depth of cultural features embedded in the lexical idioms of both languages.