‘파란’ : 초점색상에서 기본색상으로

Abstract

This study investigates the usage of Korean color terms ‘phalan’ and ‘phuleun'. As in Chinese and Japanese, Korean indigenous color terms have been claimed to have no distinction between green and blue. Hence, the color that encompasses green and blue is often referred to as grue which amounts to a blend of green and blue. The study analyzes collocation patterns of ‘phalan' and ‘phuleun' on the one hand and perception patterns on the 24-color wheel on the other, by young-male, young-female, old-male, and old-female groups. It is argued that ‘phalan' was initially developed as a focal color of ‘phuleun' in the past and that more recently ‘phalan' came to be used for blue while ‘phuleun' has remained the same. Now, it seems that the younger generation begin to treat ‘phalan' as a new basic color term for blue while retaining ‘phuleun' as grue with its focal color being ‘cholok', which has the meaning of green. As a result, there are by now six, not five, basic color terms in Korean: black, white, red, yellow, blue, and green. The suggested change in the basic color system remains to be further verified in the coming years.