THE VIDEO SHELF · color naming linguistics
The surprising pattern behind color names around the world
Vox explains the Berlin and Kay research showing that languages around the world tend to invent color words in the same order. It walks through the hierarchy and the debate around it.
Why HN readers recommended it
HN commenters recommend it as a clear, well-made summary of the linguistics of color naming and how culture shapes it.
This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.
Video & recommendation details
- Creator / channel
- Vox
- Topic
- color naming linguistics
- Format
- explainer
- Level
- general
- HN recommenders in dataset
- 4
- HN mentions in dataset
- 8
- Recommendation years in dataset
- 2017–2025
These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.
From the original HN conversations
Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.
Text really isn't the best medium to discuss color perception. This Vox video summarizing the research of linguistic anthropologists is much more clear: [VIDEO]
sn9 on Hacker News · 2017-08
In The sea was never blueJust watched this Vox video on a (potential) pattern behind color names last week, which also covers a bit about the research by Berlin and Kay: [VIDEO]
maxwell on Hacker News · 2017-09
In New theory why languages don’t all have the same number of terms for colorsI also find it fascinating that cultures have so many words for colours or so few words for colours either way it's interesting. Here is a good video on colour and how many cultures perceive colour and name them, or not. "The surprising pattern behind …
dghughes on Hacker News · 2023-10
In Why Japan Has Blue Traffic Lights Instead of Green
Summaries, classifications and recommendation records are from the HackerTube source dataset. Read about this library and its limitations.