Bohemica Olomucensia

Idioms with the Coloronyms White and Black in Czech and Italian.

Idiomatic expressions represent the key element of the language, expressing culture, history, and the mindset of the society. Their interpretation might be difficult for non- -native speakers, as their meaning not always follows from the context. Idiomatic units make it possible to observe the relation between the language and the linguistic image of the world. Prominent idioms are those featuring colours which carry symbolic, cultural, and emotional values. The theoretical frame of this work is the model developed by Berlin and Kay, which defines criteria for basic colour terms, and emphasizes the universal primacy of white and black as fundamental dualities of human experience. This opposition also pre- supposes a higher frequency of idiomatic expressions involving these colours. Therefore, the analysis focuses on idioms with the coloronyms "white" and "black", their origin, meaning, equivalents, and cultural features. In the comparison of idioms, the analysis is based on complete, partial, and zero equivalents with respect both to semantics and figurative means. The proposed analysis highlights not only universal features related to white and black, but also cultural and historical experiences that determine the difference between the two phraseological repertoires and help to interpret the meaning of black and white idiomatic expressions more easily.

Keywords: colors; idioms; symbolic meaning; ethnolinguistic