Dematerialization of the Chromatic Sign: Cognitive Strategies of the Transition From Objectness to Ideologeme
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The article explores the phenomenon of chromatic sign dematerialization within the Ukrainian linguistic space through the lenses of cognitive linguistics and semiotics. The relevance of the study is driven by the need to redefine the nature of color naming not as static attributive of an object, but as a dynamic concept capable of autonomization and ideological conversion. The object of the study is the system of Ukrainian chromatonyms in their historical dynamics and modern discursive manifestation. The subject of the study is the cognitive mechanisms of semantic derivation of color names that facilitate the transition from object-based determination to metaphysical conceptualization. The purpose of the article is to theoretically substantiate the stades of color feature dematerialization and to construct a model of its transformation into an ideologeme, To archive this goal, a complex of methods was used: componential analysis (for decomposition of lexeme semantics), cognitive-discursive analysis (to study color functioning in sociopolitical communication), etymological reconstruction, and the modelling method. As a result of the research, it has been established that the evolution of a chromatonym undergoes three fundamental stages:1) the stage of substantial viscosity, where the color name is entirely determined by the object-prototype (material culture, craft-related borrowings); 2) the stage of cognitive autonomization, where color emerges as an independent abstract category, losing its direct link with the denotatum; 3) the stage of secondary semiotization, where the chromatic sign transforv into an ideologeme or a metaphysical symbol. It is proved that in modern media discourse, color often loses its primary connection with the material substrate, becoming an instrument for constructing social reality and manipulative influence. The conclusions confirm that the dematerialization of the chromatic sign is a conseguence of the anthropocentric nature of language, which adapts the physical parameters of the spectrum to the needs of symbolic communication. Perspectives for further research are seen in investigating gender and ethno-psychological features of color dematerialization in various types of national discourse.
Source: Opera in linguistica ukrainiana
Author: V. P. Oleksenko
Institution: Kherson State University
Language: English
Topic: Language and Culture
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204584992