Kleuren als verklaringsmechanismen
Abstract
Colours and their explanatory force — Starting from an ethno-linguistic semantic analysis of Bantu colour terms we argue that colours are not merely used as a means of denoting actual colour or shade differences, i.e. subdivisions of the spectrum. Rather, they prove to stand for a whole array of physical and metaphysical and metaphysical values within Bantu culture. Three specific colours, namely red, white and black, are the type colours for three huge colour blocks, in which nearly all possible colours are enclosed. These blocks provide ipso facto a triadic moral classification, in which white stands for socially adopted, positive behaviour and black for asocial, negative behaviour. Red seems to have no definite moral value. Its activity can be both positive and negative. It thus stands for the irrational, versus the rational dualism ‘whiteblack’.
How to Cite:
Blommaert, J., (1984) “Kleuren als verklaringsmechanismen”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 29(3), 212–227. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.94879
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