tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Aug 24 07:27:36 1994
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Re: Colors
- From: KLI Round Table Acct <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Colors
- Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 19:23:22 -0400 (EDT)
- In-Reply-To: <[email protected]> from "William H. Martin" at Aug 24, 94 03:52:07 pm
> Anyway, hazel and calico are grammatically used as if they were
> pure colors instead of mixes of colors. See where I'm headed?
>
> Suppose, when they asked Maltz for words for colors, he started
> listing off the 13,000 official Klingon color words that every
> school puq learns in kindergarden, in their order on the
> spectrum from infra-red to ultra-violet, just like he was
> taught when he was young.
>
> The researchers stop him and request that he choose a smaller
> set of colors. Smaller set? Impossible! You want colors? Here
> are 13,000! So the researchers step back and consult each
> other, then they approach him again and, this time, they say,
> "Give me the smallest number of colors you can think of that
> when you add them together makes white." So Maltz gave the two
> combinations of colors that he knows can do that. They are the
> equivalent of hazel and calico in that they are words referring
> to sets of colors combined in a region or on an object. Maybe
> they are the colors found on Klingon flowers or somesuch.
>
> charghwI'
This is the most refreshing thing I've seen on the topic of Klingon color
terms in a long time. Including the assorted articles that have been
submitted to HolQeD on the topic. The Berlin & Kay and Rosch articles
not withstanding, this rather sideways direction on the topic may be the
way to go. Hmmmm.... gonna have to think about this some more. Thanks
Will, most intriguing post I've read all week.
Lawrence