On the Color- Vocabulary of Children. 3 



of the slightest importance. Our interest in the house-fly is 

 not of such a nature as to require more than specific distinc- 

 tion, and this the word * house-fly ' gives us. An example 

 of the superior, interest which multiplies names is found in 

 the herdsmen, who often distinguish and specially designate 

 many of their cattle and horses. Long association with 

 herds, convenience, and lack of other mental employment 

 doubtless contribute to this result. Inanimate objects re- 

 ceive individual names only when uncommon circumstances 

 distinguish them from their kind. Such circumstances may 

 consist in the unusual nature of the object, or in its excep- 

 tional relation to ourselves. 



The languages of races peculiarly situated with regard to 

 animals, plants, 6r physical phenomena exhibit extraordinary 

 specialization of words denoting such relations. Thus the 

 Arabs are said to have at least one hundred names for lion 

 and fifty for locust. The language of the Marianne Islanders 

 has twenty appellations for the different stages in the growth 

 of the cocoanut.i The Chinese have many words for familiar 

 objects, as cow, rice, etc. Among warlike people the variety 

 of military terms is remarkable. On passing from material 

 objects to mental phenomena it will be observed that com- 

 paratively few simple sensations have names. In this re- 

 spect, however, the modern languages are far superior to 

 the ancient. Locke noticed and deemed it worth while to 

 record this peculiarity of language.^ He furthermore remarks 

 concerning the indefinite character of names that " men gen- 

 erally content themselves with some few obvious qualities," 

 and adds that " in organized bodies it is usually the shape, 

 and in other bodies the color, that serves as a distinguishing 

 mark." ^ 



In temperature, 'hot,' 'warm,' 'tepid,' 'cold,' and 'cool' are 

 the chief terms used. For the muscular sense we employ 

 'heavy,' 'light,' and 'elastic' For touch there exist the terms 



^ Farrar: "On the Growth of Language," yoiirnal of Philology, II. i^ciseq. 



2 Essay concerning Human Understanding, Bk. II. Chap. 3, § 2. 



3 Ibid. Bk. III. Chap. 6, § 29. 



207 



