On The Definition Of The Semantic Field Of English “Basic Color Terms” In English-chinese Bilingual Dictionaries

Color terms possess linguistic-specific characteristics and intricate implied meanings,thereby endowing them with extraordinary vitality in both everyday life and object description.They exhibit a strong derivational ability and are frequently employed in discourse,making them a distinctive part of language with significant research value.This research delves into three key questions regarding color terms:(1)What are the differences between perceptual and non-perceptual color terms?(2)What is the current state of color term definitions in two bilingual English-Chinese dictionaries?(3)How do we optimize the definitions of color terms based on multidimensional semantic models? To address these questions,this study utilizes both qualitative description and quantitative analysis.Firstly,based on the theory of semantic field and basic color terms,123 color terms were selected from the Oxford English Dictionary Online by sequentially searching for basic color terms and constructing a semantic field of basic color term.Secondly,the definition patterns of these sample color terms in two English-Chinese dictionaries—the New Age English-Chinese Dictionary and the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English(sixth edition)—were comprehensively compared and analyzed based on three levels of definition,annotation,and example.The study found that the New Age exhibits several problems: the equivalents of PL color terms deviate from their prototype meaning and are mainly peripheral meanings,leading to synonym generalization and semantic change.The example structure of PL color terms is not rich enough to reflect their prototype structure,and the example types are limited and unbalanced.The breadth and depth of NPL color term meanings are uneven,and the pragmatic annotation is incomplete,leading to insufficient presentation of pragmatic information.On the other hand,the Longman also has issues,such as the inadequate richness of the dimension of NPL color term meaning division and the insufficient granularity of the definition.The cross-reference structure is limited to traditional structures,and the color specificity is insufficient.Therefore,this paper proposes the prototype semantic principle,comprehensive connotation principle,user-friendly principle,and gestalt principle,combined with the theory of semantic field and multidimensional definition mode,to optimize the definition pattern of color terms a.The purpose of this research is to systematically construct multidimensional definition models for color terms based on sense-driven multidimensional definition model and semantic field theory.This study aims to address the limitations in color term definitions,enhance the productivity of dictionary users,further expand the application of semantic fields in dictionary compilation,and provide a fresh perspective for multidimensional research on color terms.