中外色名演進比較研究

A Comparative Study of the Evolution of Color Terms in Chinese and English

呂清夫(Ching-Fu Lu)

《視覺藝術》 1期 (1998/05) Pp. 1-23

https://doi.org/10.6960/VA.199805.0001

摘要

伯林與凱依(B. Berlin, P. Kay)共同發表《基本色名》(basic Color Terms, 1969)一書以來，聲名大噪，影響深遠。該書主張色名使用的多寡與文化發展的高低有關，但其中也出現不少疑點，特別是有關漢語色名的部分，更待釐清疑點。本文透過口語及文語的深入調查，證實有關漢語色名的發展已以經達於伯林與凱依所謂的最高階段，而非僅及於較低的層次。本文同時透過實際文獻的調查，證實中外基本色名的發展大致相同，同時基本色名也多半有其來曆(the derivations)，而非如伯林與凱依所謂的無法分析(unanalyzable)。

關鍵字

主要基本色名（正色色名） ； 輔助基本色名（間色色名） ； 次要色名（慣用色名） ； 《色名進化論》

並列摘要

Since publishing Basic Color Terms in 1969, Berlin and Kay have gained fame, and the influence of the book has been profound. It is claimed by the book that the number of basic color terms used by a culture is related to the developmental hierarchy of the culture. However, there are some doubts in the book, especially in the part regarding Chinese Language, that need to be clarified. Through an incisive examination of the spoken and written language, this paper verifies that the development of color terms in Chinese Language has reached the highest level, rather than the lower level claimed by Berlin and Kay. Also through examining actual literature, this paper verifies that the development of basic color terms is generally the same for Chinese and other languages. Meanwhile, most basic color terns have their derivations, instead of being unanalyzable as claimed by Berlin and Kay.