Abstract

The article presents Almalech’s Color Theory. The author uses an interdisciplinary approach to decode logical and associative meanings of colors. The development of the interdisciplinary method has two major phases. The first is related to the detection of universal, regional and national meanings in two traditional rites of passage (funeral and wedding). Colors in folklore are visual colors. The second phase deals with colors in natural languages. The colors in natural language are linguistic colors. Three linguistic objects have been differentiated: Basic Color Terms (white, black, red etc.), Prototype Terms (light, darkness, sun, fire, blood, sky, sea etc.), Prototype Rival Terms (linen, cherry, duckling, ruby, sapphire etc.). Studies have been conducted on Bulgarian novels and the Bible. Comparison of visual and verbal color lead to a small list of universal meanings, e.g. ‘purity’, ‘immaculate’ (for white), ‘fresh’, ‘youth’, ‘life’, ‘eternity’ (for green). The comparative study on Hebrew and Indo-European worldviews reflects the perception and understanding of the Old Testament – before and after translation. In addition to linguistic and semiotic dimensions, theological, hermeneutical, and cultural aspects are also taken into consideration