Linguistic and cultural analysis of idioms of color (based on Russian, English and Chinese languages)

This article gives a linguistic and cultural analysis of idioms of black color in Russian, English, and Chinese Languages. The relevance of this topic is due to the fact that idioms with a color component, owing to their figurativeness and expressiveness, vividly reflect cultural characteristics of nations, and are widely used in the studied languages, therefore such idioms need to be skillfully used in speech for successful communication. The main goal of this work is to identify the universal features and distinguish the national and cultural specificity in the linguistic worldview of three different linguistic cultures. To achieve the goal of the study, 60 idioms with the «черный – black – 黑» color component were selected by continuous sampling method from the dictionaries of idioms of Russian, English and Chinese languages as indicated in the list of references. For each idiom with color corresponding idiomatic or non-idiomatic analogues were found, the degree of their correspondence was determined, the origins of idioms were also described, and, finally, a detailed semantic interpretation of the idioms was given. Based on the results of the study there is a conclusion that idioms with a color component reflect features of the national linguistic identity and the linguistic worldview, and are essential for successful intercultural communication. The results of this study contribute to the development of the ability to use such idioms in speech, and, consequently, to improve the quality of intercultural communication, and can be of use both in translation and teaching Russian, English or Chinese as foreign languages.