Colour Terms in Microtoponyms: a Case Study from Komijan County, Central Iran

Abstract

This study examines the semantics and distribution of colour microtoponyms in Komijan County, a predominantly Turkic-speaking region situated in the western part of Markazi Province, Iran, between the cities of Arak and Hamadan. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2020 and 2023, the dataset comprises 230 colour microtoponyms. The analysis reveals that more than 90% of the colour terms used in local microtoponyms are of Turkic origin, while Iranic elements appear only marginally. The most frequently attested terms are qara (black, 73 instances), aġ (white, 68), and sarï (yellow, 28). The concept of “red” (38) is represented by two Turkic lexemes qïzïl (21) and qïrmïzï (14) and two Iranic lexemes sur (2) and sorḫ (1), reflecting a phenomenon of dual lexical representation. Contrary to earlier scholarship suggesting a symbolic correlation between colours and cardinal directions, no statistically meaningful relationship was observed in the Komijan data. Over 75% of the names belong to the descriptive category, and most distinctive names are formed through compounding. The findings highlight both the predominance of Turkic linguistic influence and the persistence of cultural symbolism embedded in colour usage, including extended semantic functions of qara. A distinctive feature of this study is the observation of reciprocal cultural and linguistic interactions between the Turkic- and Tati-speaking communities of the region, the effects of which are evident in some of the area’s microtoponyms.