Referring to colour and taste in Kilivila: Stability and change in two lexical domains of sensual perception
This chapter first compares data collected on Kilivila colour terms in 1983 with
data collected in 2008. The Kilivila lexicon has changed from a typical stage IIIb
into a stage VII colour term lexicon (Berlin and Kay 1969). The chapter then
compares data on the Kilivila taste vocabulary collected in 1982/83 with data
collected in 2008. No substantial change was found. Finally the chapter compares
the 2008 results on taste terms with a paper on the taste vocabulary of the Torres
Strait Islanders published in 1904 by Charles S. Myers. Kilivila provides evidence
that traditional terms used for talking about colour and terms used to refer to
tastes have remained relatively stable over time.
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