Modern Chinese Emerging Color Word Research

Newfangled color vocabularies are words or morphemes used in modern business to name and indicate colors. On the basis of traditional color vocabularies, newfangled vocabularies in modern Chinese would be discussed in the article from three dimensions, i.e. word formation, semantic relationship and word building.From the respective of word formation, newfangled color vocabularies could be classified into two categories:one syllable color morphemes and compound words. One syllable color morphemes refer to Jin(Golden in English), Yin(Silver in English), Tong(Coppery in English), Mi(Beige in English) and Fen(Pink in English). Jin, Yin and Fen came before Tong and Mi. Although these two groups ran on different paths, they have both branched out into large amounts of compound hyponyms with the surge of newfangled color words and both showcased an inclination of becoming pure color words. Due to the self-balancing of color vocabulary system, against the background of bisyllablization of Chinese vocabulary, these two groups have yet developed into pure color words. Compound newfangled color words only introduce a formation method of modifier-head construction, and such construction goes two ways:"non-central color morpheme+central color morpheme" and "non-central morpheme+color". On the selection of non-central color morphemes, newfangled color words abide to six basic laws:(1) Preference of semantic category representing "brightness"; (2) Preference of semantic category representing consciousness and subjective experience; (3) Continued but ever-decreased Inference of frequent-used semantic category in traditional color words on newfangled color words; (4) Preference of semantic category representing social class and character; (5) Preference of semantic category representing exotic things; (6) Preference of semantic category representing wide-range amplitude and craftwork. (7) Preference of semantic category representing science and technology.Semantically, Jin, Yin, Tong, Mi and Fen are all characterized by their representation of color mixture. Mi and Fen represent a mixture of white and other colors. Jin, Yin and Tong represent new colors with both color and non-color attributes, and they are different from other syllable color morphemes. In newfangled color words with modifier-head construction, there are thirteen kinds of semantic relationships between non-central and central color morphemes:comparison, scope, denomination, production, evaluation, synaesthesia, initiation, possession, composition, restriction, decoration, realization and domination. Four kinds of semantic relationships like production, synaesthesia, decoration and involvement could only be found in newfangled color words. And it's impossible that semantic relationships only be found in traditional color words. Semantic relationships in newfangled color words are more diverse and complex than those in traditional color words.In terms of word building, newfangled color words take on three characteristics: "subjectivation", "modernization" and "having both motivation & non-motivation".Subjectivation refers to that in building newfangled color words, subjectivity could be divided into three incremental magnitudes of "visual cognition", "existential scope" and "subjective combination", and these three magnitudes could further divided in accordance with the semantic relationships of non-central and central color morphemes. Modernization refers to that non-central color morphemes in newfangled color words reflect striking characteristics of commercialization and urbanization. As for commercialization, newfangled color words put morphemes representing {mankind} {human nature}, subjectivity and experimental meaning into formation in order to entertain consumers, publicize goods and stimulate consumption. As for urbanization, non-central color morphemes in newfangled color words would ever increasingly reflect urban life and urbanites' observation into and thinking of the relationships between man and nature. These phenomena could be explained by the theory of "anesthetization of daily life". Having both of motivation & non-motivation refers to most of newfangled color words have clear motivations and a disjunction between word-forming morpheme and word-forming motivation in a few newfangled color words, i.e. morpheme couldn't objectively reflect the motivation of a word and the word's motivation couldn't be deducted by its morpheme.