Re: Color Terms

On Sat, 18 Nov 2000, Sylvia Sotomayor wrote:

> On Fri, 17 Nov 2000, Yoon Ha Lee wrote:
> > On Fri, 17 Nov 2000, Sylvia Sotomayor wrote:
> >
> > > I had a small epiphany regarding Kélen color terms. Currently in the lexicon,
> > > there are a number that have very similar meaning, as in:
> > > tiél    purple, lavender
> > > tásh    purple
> > >
> > > It occured to me that the Kélen have a rather complex color scheme where the
> > > name of the color changes according to what is being described. The way a Kélen
> > > person would describe it is that they have 4 different sets of color terms, 4
> > > being the sacred number of course. The 4 terms cover 4 domains and 9 colors. I
> > > will try to lay this out in a table format and hope that the tab settings in
> > > your browser/email-reader are the same:
> > [snip]
> > Neat idea!  And I suppose it isn't any worse than the multiplicity of
> > Crayola colors.  :-)
> >
> > I haven't figured out color terms myself, still trying to figure out how
> > to revamp proto-conlang phonology.  But I doubt I'd've come up with
> > something that neat.
>
> I came up with my 20-odd color terms years ago, and I've known all along that
> some of them were used in specific circumstances, such as describing hair
> color, or the color of the sky. It didn't occur to me to divide them into sets
> until yesterday.
:-)  I think the _Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language_ mentions something
about how literary Welsh color terms are used certain ways in certain
contexts (I think it was a green-grey-brown color division) but don't
recall details.

I'm probably going to be boring with colors myself.  Figuring out
morphology and syntax is all I can handle for the moment.

> We've discussed personality types several times on this list. One reason I'm
> always skeptical of the tests is this: When it comes to solving business and
> practical problems, I take a very rational approach. But, when it comes to
> resolving personal problems or figuring out Kélen, I take an intuitive approach
> and will often mentally put questions aside to be answered later. Then my
> subconscious chews on the situation for awhile (weeks, months, sometimes years),
> and out pops a solution, full blown, like Athena.  So, which is my primary mode
> of thinking?
I think the notion of a "primary" mode of thinking ought to be
situational.  I've taken quite a number of silly internet personality
tests, and they do ask questions that I would answer different ways
depending on the situation.  As both a math major ("rational," at least
until you try to visualize three-dimensional space-filling curves <G>)
and a sf/fantasy writer ("intuitive")--well, I'm used to having to take
both approaches in different contexts.  At least, if there's a nice,
rational algorithm for writing good sf/f I'd love to know about it.  =^)

YHL