1.2 Definition of color, culture and their relationship
Color is the byproduct of the spectrum of light, as it is reflected or absorbed, as received by the human eyes and processed by the human brain. It is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, yellow, blue, black, etc. Color derives from the spectrum of light (distribution of light energy versus wavelength) interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. Color categories and physical specifications of color are also associated with objects, materials, light sources, etc., based on their physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, or emission spectra. That is the definition of color in the dictionary. However, the color I talk here is not merely its original meaning, but also refers to the culture of different nations.
Color words, in whatever languages, are used for describing the colors of different kinds of things. The statistics show that there are more than 7 million kinds of colors that can be recognized in the nature. However, the color names in the language are very limited because there are only dozens of colors expressed in single-morpheme word. Besides indicating their specific colors, such as red, yellow, white, black, blue, green, grey, pink, brown, purple and orange and so on, they also reflect the different cultural connotations in different languages.
Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social learning. Culture is also a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. It refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.
Changes in the meaning of color words are determined by the culture, of which the substantial content is in turn reflected by the cultural meaning. Many English and Chinese color words differ in meaning owing to different cultural content, tradition, psychology, and the cultural connotation differences are likely to cause errors in comprehension and expression. Because of the spread of the modern science and technology and exchange of ideology and culture, the modern views on the color of various nationalities are reaching unanimity. However, it is in virtue of the factor of culture that different national languages still have a different view of the color. Color exists objectively in the nature, that is to say, it is unchanged in view of different language corresponding vocabularies.
1.3 The importance of understanding color words
Color plays a major role in the lives of almost everyone. Color words help us to understand the world around, like our sense of taste and smell. Being able to accurately describe a specific color is important to being able to communicate an idea. Color words are frequently used both in Chinese and English. A lot of color words are produced under special historical and geographical background. If we do not understand these color words, their social custom and cultural background, it would be hard for us to communicate with each other. It is very important for us to grasp the difference between the literal meaning and associative meaning. The basic color words in English such as red, yellow, white, black, not only express the colors of objective things, but also the subjective things. The same terms of color in two languages may have different cultural association. It would be hard for us to communicate with each other. In cross-cultural communication, without understanding these cultures, we will probably run into obstacles or make fun of ourselves in communication. It is very important for us to grasp the difference between the literal meaning and associative meaning. Moreover, it is practically useful to know and study the differences, thus promoting the cultural communication. This article focuses on discussing the similarities and differences of color words in different cultural fields to help people to have a better understanding of different cultures and to bridge the gap between different cultures in communication and promote and strengthen cultural exchanges among countries smoothly.
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