I’ve studies enough languages to consider myself to be a bit of a hobbyist version of a linguist. I have always been fascinated by how we see things differently by virtue of the overlay that language provides for us. Color may be one of the most obvious cases, and one which at the same time, shows unambiguously how differently we think (by virtue of examining idiomatic phrases) and how we use color to give deeper meaning to our thoughts, and even more curious, how we distinguish one color form another. I see this as an easy way to look under the hood as far as how we differ in our thinking patterns.
I ran across the Alan Kennedy’s Color/Language project lately, and found it to be a perfect example of that I am talking about. This site is a growing compendium of idiomatic phrases related to colors…in many languages
In Spanish:
Más listo que los ratones Colorado//more clever than red mice// very cunning
In German:
Mit einem blauen Auge davonkommen//getting off with a blue eye//to only get a slap on the wrist for something
In Scottish Gaelic:
Dubhfhacala//black saying//a riddle or parable
Or even Armenian:
Աշխետաձի//a red horse//an unruly animal
This idea continues in the book I have already written a little about: Guy Deutscher’ s: Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages. This book (the first I have seen) contends that there is a link between language and culture, and that one deeply influences the other.
This book is also a great starting point if you are interested in paleo-linguistics, or want to get a deeper perspective on Homer and the Iliad and the Odyssey (e.g. the wine red sea, and rosy fingered dawn are a major focus of this book…).
