The Relationship between color and language

NPR books did a brief review of Jude Stewart's book, Roy G. Biv: An Exceedingly Surprising Book About Color,

HERE.

One of the more interesting evolutions of our perception of the color spectrum is that there are actually only 6 colors in a rainbow. Sir Issac Newton, unpon his observation of the spectrum, was pressured to add Indigo, to make the total colors 7, which matched a musical scale. Which of course had nothing to do with science or accuracy, but today we accept it!

The Article takes five minutes or less to digest. I recommend it.

My Best,

Gary

Interesting stuff. There is a theory - an offshoot of Julian Jaynes' Bi-Cameral mind theory - that range of colour perception as we know it was a very recent addition to our senses. This theory points out, for instance, that despite the erudition of Greek authors like Homer there are surprisingly few references to colour and that these are of the "wine-dark sea" variety, not really colour at all.

The more I read about colour and colour theory, the more I realize what HumanKind doesn't understand about visual perception of frequencies of lightwaves!

At least we are making an effort, though, through colour calibration, colour specifications, and physiologically, understanding more about how our brain interprets signals. There's something, for example, called chromatic adaptation, which throws our color evaluation way off when you look at something after spending a while looking at an entirely different scene.

This is why we need more colours on Xara's Colour Line. :)

My Best,
Gary

It's an interesting article - but when I read the excepts of the book it appears on the face of it very subjective, anecdotal and hardly scientific. But if you have $22 collecting dust somewhere, it looks like an interesting read nevertheless :thx

@Big Frank—

Human beings are creatures who by instinct evaluate things by their differences. Cavemen probably survived because while foraging for food, they made the intellectual and visual distinction between an antelope and a rock.

Still today, we reflexively go for the difference between things, and every once in a while, a sensitive and open human being sees and appreciates the similarities between things.

Now, I think reflexively, when someone mentions science and art in the same breath, they are referring to two entirely opposite disciplines.

When it comes to color, isn't it possible that there is a comfortable overlap between science and art, between calculations and impressions?

By the way, regarding the $22 book, I got my fill, and the enlightenment I felt I needed just by reading the review.

"Free" works, too, often.

My Best,

Gary

Well.. sound and language have onomatopeia, i've heard about synesthesia but that's more like switching sensations right than putting verbiage to colors right?

I have read the fiction of D.H. Lawrence or Emily Bronte before but come to think of it i think they're narration relies more on shapes than color? I need to re-read those pieces again. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by norvie888

I have read the fiction of D.H. Lawrence or Emily Bronte before but come to think of it i think they're narration relies more on shapes than color? I need to re-read those pieces again. :D

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It might be because books of their times had shape but no color.

Thank goodness Binney & Smith invented the coloring book.

Just being silly here 7.30am NY time, and coffee isn't done yet.

-g