“WHEN NATURE OPENS ITS PALLET” – a Comparative Study of Polish rudy and English red

Abstrakt

This paper examines the linguistic and historical development, as well as the relationship between the colour term red in English, rudy in Polish, and рыжий in Russian, within a broader Proto-Indo-European context. The research methodology comprises three principal stages: first, the collection of cognates to determine their chronological attestations; second, the identification of their morphological structure; and third, the analysis of the phonological developments observed in two lines of descent: one descending from Proto-Indo-European h₁roudh-, which evolved into Polish rudy, and the other, which gave rise to English red. The analysis indicates that the Proto-Indo-European root h1reudh‑ ‘red’ represents masculine h1reudh‑rós and feminine forms h₁rudʰréh₂ and, structurally, functioned as a Caland-type adjective meaning ‘red’. Its derivational pattern reflects the o-grade form: h₁roudh-, and zero-grade: h₁rudʰ- with the -rós suffix serving an adjectival function.