GENERAL MEANINGS OF COLORS IN MODERN ENGLISH

The article examines the general meanings and cultural connotations of basic colour terms in Modern English. Drawing on findings from cognitive semantics, lexicology, and cultural linguistics, the study analyses the symbolic associations of the principal colours — red, white, black, green, blue, yellow — as well as several secondary terms such as purple, pink, grey, and brown. Particular attention is given to idiomatic expressions, metaphors, and stable collocations in which colour words reveal layered cultural meaning. The research demonstrates that colour vocabulary in English operates simultaneously on literal and figurative levels, reflecting historical experience, social values, and emotional categorisation. The findings may be useful for students of English philology, translators, and teachers of English as a foreign language.