Biggam, C. P. (2018) Is it all guesswork? Translating colour terms across the centuries. In: MacDonald, L. W., Biggam, C. P. and Paramei, G. V. (eds.) Progress in Colour Studies: Cognition, Language and Beyond. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam ; Philadelphia, pp. 167-178. ISBN 9789027201041 (doi: 10.1075/z.217.09big)
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Abstract
Addressed to non-semanticists, this article discusses the means by which colour semanticists strive to pursue their research with as much objectivity as possible. Three functions of colour terms are presented: descriptive, classificatory and connotative, showing that colour expressions operate differently in various semantic environments. In addition, lexical meanings can change over the years, as a result, for example, of semantic shift or contact with other languages, and this is likely to render inappropriate the application of modern colour-term definitions to their historical antecedents. Finally, a connotative case-study of hair-colour descriptors in English across the centuries reveals that words operating in restricted contexts can convey more than colour.
| Item Type: | Book Sections |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Colour, semantic research, English, connotations. |
| Status: | Published |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Biggam, Dr Carole |
| Authors: | Biggam, C. P. |
| College/School: | College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Language and Linguistics |
| Publisher: | John Benjamins Publishing Company |
| ISBN: | 9789027201041 |
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