Lexico-Semantic and Stylistic Features of Phraseological Units with the Component rose in Contemporary French

Abstract

Speakers of French make abundant use of fixed expressions containing colour terms such as rose, which provide rich cultural and emotional imagery. This article examines the lexico-semantic and stylistic features of phraseological units that include the word rose (as a colour, a flower, or a symbol) in contemporary French. First, we outline the theoretical framework of French phraseology, with particular emphasis on lexical fixation, semantic opacity, and the metaphorical dimension of these expressions. We then draw on examples from contemporary corpora (media, literature, and the press) to analyze the semantics of various expressions with rose—such as voir la vie en rose, à l’eau de rose, and envoyer sur les roses—in order to understand how the component rose contributes to their overall meaning. We show that the lexeme rose generally carries positive connotations (optimism, romanticism, innocence), which combine with other elements to form idiomatic meanings that are often far removed from the literal sense. Finally, the stylistic analysis reveals the varied use of these phrasemes in contemporary communication: sometimes to soften or euphemize an utterance, sometimes to add a vivid, humorous, or ironic touch to discourse. These phraseological units containing the component rose illustrate the linguistic creativity and expressive force inherent in idioms, as well as their role in the vitality of present-day French.