Prototype comparisons of colours in the Polish language

Magdalena Czachorowska

Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy

Abstract

The article describes such comparative structures in the Polish language within which a colour is defined through direct reference to physical features of an object, which becomes a model for this colour. Similar to black and white, which were presented in the previous study, the linguistic material has been based on lexicographical sources that register both the earliest dictionary resources of the Polish language and those showing contemporary lexis. Apart from black and white, the Polish language defines other 10 colours through reference to physical features of an object. They include both primaries’ names, e.g. red, blue, or yellow, and their shades, e.g. pale blue, pink, or ginger.