Cover not available

In:Colour Studies: A broad spectrum
Edited by Wendy Anderson, Carole P. Biggam, Carole Hough and Christian Kay
[Not in series 191] 2014
► pp. 93–108

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required

The motivational analysis of some Finnic colour terms

Published online: 26 November 2014
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/z.191.06oja
The origin and semantics of some (non Indo-European) Finnic colour words denoting the yellow, red and brown hues are discussed, including their various earlier interpretations. All the words discussed, namely, ruske, raudjas, lepp, leet and paat (with variations and cognates) have similarities with word-roots in Indo-European languages, for example, among the Finnic colour names with the raud- stem there are Germanic and Baltic loanwords, all originating in the same root. The chapter includes a new hypothesis as to the semantic origin of words from the lepp- stem, and it explores aspects of the morphological and semantic changes which occurred in the adopted words. These include examples of mistaken folk-etymology in connection with leet and paat / paatti, and investigation of the dialectal meanings of the ruske-based lexemes which vary from orange to red and brown hues.
References (61)
Dictionaries
Buck, Carl Darling. 1949. A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages: A contribution to the history of ideas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
EES Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary]. 2012, by Iris Metsmägi, Meeli Sedrik, and Sven-Erik Soosaar. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
EEW Estnisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 1982–1983, by Julius Mägiste. 12 vols. Helsinki: Finnisch-Ugrische Gesellschaft.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
EKMS Eesti keele mõisteline sõnaraamat / Dictionnaire analogique de la langue estonienne, vol. 3. 1962, by Andrus Saareste. Stockholm: Vaba Eesti.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
EKSS Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Defining Dictionary of Estonian]. 2009, ed. by Margit Langemets, Mai Tiits, Tiia Valdre, Leidi Veskis, Ülle Viks, and Piret Voll. 6 vols. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
EMS Eesti murrete sõnaraamat [Estonian Dialect Dictionary], vol. 5 (1). 2009, ed. by Mari-Liis Kalvik, Mari Kendla, Vilja Oja, Tiina Tärk, and Jüri Viikberg. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hellquist, Elof. 1922. Svensk etymologisk Ordbok [Swedish Etymological Dictionary]. Lund: Gleerups.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
IW Indogermanisches Wörterbuch, [URL]
KKS Karjalan kielen sanakirja [Dictionary of Karelian]. 1968–2005, ed. by Raija Koponen, and Pertti Virtaranta. (= Lexica Societatis Fenno-Ugricae, 16; Kotimaisten Kielten Tutkimuskeskuksen Julkaisuja, 25.) 6 vols. Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
LW Livisches Wörterbuch mit grammatischer Einleitung. 1938, by Lauri Kettunen. (= Lexica Societatis Fenno-Ugricae, 5.) Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
ME Lettisch-Deutsches Wörterbuch. 1923–1932, by Karlis Mühlenbachs; ed. and augmented by Janis Endzelin. 4 vols.Riga: Izdevusi Izglītības ministrija.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
NS Nykysuomen sanakirja [Dictionary of Modern Finnish], vol. 4. 1956, ed. by Matti Sadeniemi. Porvoo & Helsinki: Werner Söderström.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
OFSF Ordbok över Finlands svenska folkmål [Dictionary of Swedish Dialects in Finland], vol. 4. 2007, ed. by Peter Slotte. Helsingfors: Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland & Forskningscentralen för de Inhemska Språken.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
ÕS Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat [Estonian Orthological Dictionary]. 2006, ed. by Tiiu Erelt. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pokorny, Julius. 1959–1969. Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 2 vols. Bern & Munich: Francke Verlag.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
PS Suomen kielen perussanakirja [Basic Dictionary of the Finnish Language]. 1996. 4th ed. (= Kotimaisten Kielten Tutkimuskeskuksen Julkaisuja, 55.)Helsinki: Kotimaisten Kielten Tutkimuskeskus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rietz, Johan Ernst. [1867] 1962. Ordbok öfver svenska allmoge-språket [Dictionary of Swedish Dialects]. Lund: Gleerups. Also available at: [URL]Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
SAOB Svenska Akademiens ordbok: Ordbok över svenska språket utgiven av Svenska Akademien [The Swedish Academy Dictionary], [URL]
SED A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, [URL]
SKES Suomen kielen etymologinen sanakirja [Etymological Dictionary of Finnish]. 1955–1983, by Erkki Itkonen, Yrjö H. Toivonen, and Aulis J. Joki. (= Lexica Societatis Fenno-Ugricae, 12.) 7 vols. Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
SMS Suomen murteiden sanakirja [Finnish Dialect Dictionary], vol. 9. (= Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus, 36.) Editing in progress
SRNG Slovaŕ russkih narodnyh govorov [Dictionary of Russian National Dialects], vol. 16. 1980. Leningrad: Nauka.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
SSA Suomen sanojen alkuperä: Etymologinen sanakirja [The Origin of Finnish Words: An Etymological Dictionary]. 1992–2000, ed. by Erkki Itkonen, and Ulla-Maija Kulonen. 
(= Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran toimituksia, 556; Kotimaisten Kielten Tutkimuskeskuksen Julkaisuja, 62.) 3 vols. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
UEW Uralisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, vol. 1. 1988, by Károly Rédey. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vasmer, Max. 1986. Etimologičeskij slovaŕ russkogo jazyka [Russian Etymological Dictionary], trans. and ed. by O.N. Trubatšov, and B.A. Larin. 4 vols. Moscow: Progress.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
VKS Vadja keele sõnaraamat [Dictionary of Votic], vol. 5. 2006, ed. by Silja Grünberg. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
VMS Väike murdesõnastik [Concise Dialect Dictionary (of Estonian)], vol. 2. 1989, ed. by Valdek Pall. Tallinn: Valgus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wiedemann, Ferdinand Johann. [1893] 1973. Eesti-saksa sõnaraamat / Estnisch-Deutsches Wörterbuch. 2nd ed. by Jakob Hurt. Tallinn: Valgus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Non-dictionary references
Ahlqvist, August. 1871. De vestfinska språkens kulturord: Et linguistiskt bidrag till Finnarnes äldre kulturhistoria [Cultural Vocabulary of West Finnish]. Helsingfors: Finska Litteratur-Sällskapets.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
ALE Atlas linguarum Europae, vol. 1: 4. 1990. Rome: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
ALFE Atlas linguarum Fennicarum, vol. 2. 2007. (= Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran Toimituksia, 800; Kotimaisten Kielten Tutkimuskeskuksen Julkaisuja, 118.) Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Biggam, C.P. 2012. The Semantics of Colour: A Historical Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Häkkinen, Kaisa. 2004. Linnun nimi [Bird’s Name]. Helsinki: Teos.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Herne, Alf A.G. 1954. Die slawischen Farbenbenennungen: Eine semasiologische etymologische Untersuchung. Uppsala: Almqvist and Wiksell.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kalima, Jalo Lahja. 1936. Itämerensuomalaisten kielten balttilaiset lainasanat [Baltic Loanwords in the Finnic Languages]. (= Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran Toimituksia, 202.) Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kerttula, Seija. 2007. “Relative Basicness of Color Terms: Modeling and Measurement.” In MacLaury,Paramei, and Dedrick, 151–169.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Koivulehto, Jorma. 1999. “Das Verhältnis des Ostseefinnischen und des Lappischen im Lichte der alten Lehnwörter: Die Substitution des fremden Wortausgangs.” In Sprachen in Finnland und Estland, ed. by Pekka Lehtimäki, 7–22. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Koski, Mauno. 1983. Värien nimitykset suomessa ja lähisukukielissä [The Names for Colours in Finnish and Closely-Related Languages]. (= Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran Toimituksia, 391.) Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lehtisalo, Toivo. 1934. “Lepästä sielupuuna suomensukuisilla kansoilla [Alder as the sacred soul tree of the Finnic people].” Kalevalaseuran Vuosikirja 14: 76–83.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MacLaury, Robert E., Galina V. Paramei, and Don Dedrick (eds.) 2007. Anthropology of Color: Interdisciplinary multilevel modeling. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mäger, Mart. 1967. Eesti linnunimetused [Estonian Bird Names], ed. by Valdek Pall. Tallinn: Eesti NSV Teaduste Akadeemia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mägiste, Julius. 1928. Oi-, õi- deminutiivid läänemeresoome keelis [Oi-, õi- diminutives in Finnic languages]. (= Acta et Commentationes Universitatis Dorpatensis B, 12.2.) Tartu: Postimehe Kirjastus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Manninen, Ilmari Justus Andreas. 1929. Soome sugu rahvaste etnograafia [The Ethnography of the Finno-Ugric Peoples]. Tartu: Loodus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nirvi, Ruben Erik. 1944. Sanankieltoja ja niihin liittyviä kielenilmiöitä itämerensuomalaisissa kielissä [About Taboo Words and Associated Linguistic Phenomena in Finnic Languages]. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Oja, Vilja. 2001. Linguistic Studies of Estonian Colour Terminology. Tartu: Tartu University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2003. “Hobu oli võik, lehm oli leet [Horse versus cow: same colour, different adjectives].” Keel ja Kirjandus 46 (2): 101–107.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2004a. “Some Colour Words with Restricted Reference.” Latvijas Zinātnu Akadēmijas Vēstis, A5: 37–42.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2004b. “The Finnic-Mordvin lepp .” Linguistica Uralica 40 (2): 87–94.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2006. “Terms for Blood in the Finnic Atlas: Cognates and contacts.” In Proceedings of the 4th International Congress of Dialectologists and Geolinguists, ed. by Agris Timuška, 374–381. Riga: Latvian Language Institute, University of Latvia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2007. “Colour Naming in Estonian and Cognate Languages.” In MacLaury, Paramei, and Dedrick, 189–209.
. 2011. “Kromaatiliste värvide nimetustest läänemeresoome murretes [About the names for chromatic colours in the Finnic dialects].” In Värvinimede raamat, ed. by Mari Uusküla, and Urmas Sutrop, 143–167. (= Töid Antropoloogilise ja Etnolingvistika Vallast, 5.) Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saareste, Albert. 1924. Leksikaalseist vahekordadest eesti murretes, 1: analüüs [Lexical relations in Estonian dialects, 1: analysis]. (= Acta et Commentationes Universitatis Dorpatensis B, 6.1.) Tartu: Postimehe Kirjastus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Salo, Unto. 1992. “Raudan synty: Rautatekniikan varhaisvaiheista Suomessa [The birth of iron: The early stages of iron technology in Finland].” Sananjalka 34: 103–122.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Suhonen, Seppo. 1973. Die jungen lettischen Lehnwörter im Livischen. ( = Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran Toimituksia, 154.) Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Suolahti, Hugo. 1906. “Lintujen nimityksistä suomen kielessä [About Finnish bird names].” Virittäjä 10: 138–142.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thomsen, Wilhelm. 1931. Berührungen zwischen den finnischen und den baltischen (litauisch-lettischen) Sprachen: eine sprachgeschichtliche Untersuchung. ( = Samlede Afhandlinger, 4.) Copenhagen: Nordisk Forlag.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Toivonen, Yrjö Henrik. 1943. “Hurma ja hurme [ Hurma and hurme ].” Kalevalaseuran Vuosikirja 22 (1943 for 1942): 149–161.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Uusküla, Mari. 2007. “The Basic Colour Terms of Finnish.” SKY Journal of Linguistics 20: 367–397.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vaba, Lembit. 1997. Uurimusi läti–eesti keelesuhetest [Studies on the Linguistic Relations between Estonian and Latvian]. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus; Tampere: Ülikool.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vilkuna, Kustaa. 1937. “Die Benennungen des Marienkäfers.” Finnish-Ugrische Forschungen 24: 197–231.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zeps, Valdis Juris. 1962. Latvian and Finnic Linguistic Convergences. ( = Indiana University Uralic and Altaic Series, 9.) Bloomington: Indiana University.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue