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In:Progress in Colour Studies: Colour Expression and Cognition
Edited by Carole P. Biggam, Domicele Jonauskaite, Mari Uusküla and Dimitris Mylonas
[Not in series 244] 2026
► pp. 74–112

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How similar are the colour idioms of different languages?

A comparative study of Estonian, Swedish, and Turkish

 | Tallinn University
Published online: 20 February 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/z.244.05ogu
Abstract
Previous studies have indicated that some colour idioms are recognised universally, and others are culture-specific. This study compared the colour idioms of three languages from different language families: Swedish (Indo-European, Germanic); Estonian (Finno-Ugric, Finnic); Turkish (Altai, Turkic). Cognitive Metaphor Theory was used for qualitatively analysing the idioms. The results indicated that there was a large overlap in the conceptual metaphors that each language recognised. Some idioms that appeared opaque judging by their linguistic form only proved to be quite transparent when the motivations behind them were identified. The comparative examination of colour idioms across different language families provides a unique opportunity for deepening our comprehension of the extent to which cultural variations shape the way we perceive the world.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Material and methods
  • 3.Results and discussion
    • 3.1Shared, transparent, and opaque idioms and their motivators
    • 3.2Analysis by colour term
      • 3.2.1Black / dark
      • 3.2.2White / light
      • 3.2.3Red
      • 3.2.4Grey
      • 3.2.5Green
      • 3.2.6Yellow
      • 3.2.7Blue
      • 3.2.8Purple
      • 3.2.9Pink
      • 3.2.10Brown
  • 4.Conclusions
  • Note
  • References
  • Appendix
References (34)
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