Describing Color
After writing a few posts about color, I came across some interesting pages that made me think about the words used to describe colors.
Take a look at Wikipedia’s List of Colors and List of Crayola Crayon Colors. Ah, memories. 
I remember drawing flowers with Carnation Pink and Caribbean Green, way back when I used to collect crayons. I also got a kick out of this Color Name Generator, which spews out names like Ocean Celery and Camel Pink.
So, how would you describe a color to someone who was born blind? I’ve heard that question asked many times, but I’ve yet to come up with a good answer.
January 5th, 2007
That is a very good question, one I’ve thought about frequently. Description of color would be a fascinating topic to discuss with a blind person.
January 5th, 2007
I found you through the ProBlogger writing project and am enjoying your blog so far.
I’ve always thought that the smell of cut grass is very “green.” The sound of the cello, accompanied by the feel of tree bark would probably be my way of describing “brown” to someone who couldn’t see. Mournful, yet tough.
http://o-my-goodness.livejournal.com
January 6th, 2007
That’s a beautiful description right there, lornadoone! I could imagine the colors just by reading your comment. That’s probably the best way to describe color to a blind person: describe it through other senses. Even if it’s subjective, the emotion is probably just as powerful as seeing the color itself.
January 7th, 2007
Oh, and the taste of figs is very green to me . . . I recently had one for the first time and turned to my friend and said, “That tastes *green*!”
I’ve often wonder how blind folks comprehend colors.