Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2008 February 18

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

February 18

Blue

I was asked, by my students, why the colour blue is linked to pornography (blue movie, blue pound etc.) and I cannot find the answer anywhere. Please help!190.158.105.186 (talk) 13:31, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

The always reliable (insert smile emoticon) Eric Partridge, in my copy of the 1961 edition of his Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, dates this sense to the late 1830s and says, "Perhaps ex the blue dress of harlots [cites Farmer and Henley's Slang and Its Analogues (1890–1904)], perhaps ex La Bibliothèque Bleue, a series of French books [cites J. C. Hotten's The Slang Dictionary (1859)], perhaps simply in contrast to brown." Deor (talk) 13:48, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

And see also this. Deor (talk) 13:51, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Also blue laws... AnonMoos (talk) 14:21, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

And this.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 18:10, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Although Quinion, linked in my second response above, says that a derivation from the use of the blue pencil is chronologically impossible (and, in fact, that the "blue pencil" usage is based on the earlier "obscene" sense). Deor (talk) 18:41, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

In China, the colour yellow is associated with pornography, sex and other 'inappropriate' things. Pornography is sometimes called 'fuzzy movies', because the copying and recopying of videos made the picture blurry. Steewi (talk) 23:41, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

At this point I am reminded of the curiously titled movie I Am Curious (Yellow) and its sequel I Am Curious (Blue) -- where the title colors refer to the flag of Sweden! --Anonymous, 05:28 UTC, February 19, 2008.

"In China, the colour yellow is associated with pornography, sex and other 'inappropriate' things." Like the Emperor? I thought yellow was the imperial color. Or has the association with inappropriate things only arisen since 1912? —Angr ^{If you've written a quality article...} —Preceding comment was added at 07:02, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it's a very recent association, probably from Yellow journalism.--K.C. Tang (talk) 16:05, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I once read that the movies had a slight blue tint due to bad (underground) processing.LShecut2nd (talk) 13:25, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

moto in japanese

I am wondering what the meaning of "moto" is, as used in many Japanese names (Morimoto-san, Yamamoto-san etc.). I mean the kanji 本. Many thanks --Lgriot (talk) 14:00, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

See wikt:本, wikt:もと and wikt:moto. Algebraist 14:14, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Great! Thanks a lot Algebraist, I didn't think of using wiktionary in this way. I found loads of other name parts like nishi etc., but I can't be sure of the nanori meaning of wikt:yoshi, wikt:よし, wikt:吉), because articles are missing, would that be "good"? --Lgriot (talk) 14:52, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

What is nanori? 名乗り? If so, it's a noun meaning giving one's name. The verb is nanoru/名乗る. Oda Mari (talk) 15:12, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

By nanori, I meant as defined here Kanji#Readings : "Some kanji also have lesser-known readings called nanori, which are mostly used for people's names (often given names), and are generally closely related to the kun'yomi. Place names sometimes also use nanori (or, occasionally, unique readings not found elsewhere)." I am not sure what the Kanjis would be for "nanori". Do you know if Yoshi should be interpreted as "good", a bit like in English, we have family name like "Goodman", "Gooderham" etc? --15:50, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

The article Nanori is a...total mistake. Forget about it. The meanig of the word is as I posted above. I corrected the Kanji#readings section and I'll take care of the article Nanori as soon as possible. As for the names, see this. Yoshi/kichi/kitsu/吉 can be interpreted as good. And the difficulties of the reading is a surname 吉川. It could be read as Yoshikawa and Kikkawa. You can not tell which till you ask the person with that name. Oda Mari (talk) 16:46, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Is "nanori" really not used in that sense? It's the second definition in the online Sanseido's. -- BenRG (talk) 01:32, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Except in really rare cases (perhaps more common in a specific location in Japan, but still rare when considered overall), you'd be safe assuming it was "Yoshikawa". ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 03:34, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Oda, did you have "verb" and "noun" backwards in the definition above? --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 06:22, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

No, she does not. Bendono (talk) 07:02, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Then I don't understand. What's the relevance of the noun/verb form to the OP's question? --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 07:10, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

To the original poster's question, nothing. It was in response to the response preceding hers which mentioned nanori. She was unclear on this usage of nanori to mean specific (perhaps special) readings used for Japanese names in kanji. It has other more common meanings in Japanese. See User_talk:Fg2#Nanori. Bendono (talk) 07:25, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Thank you all very much for you answers. Very useful to me (a beginner in Japanese). --Lgriot (talk) 08:39, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm so sorry. It was really illiterate of me. I'm feeling ashamed of myself. Please forgive me. Oda Mari (talk) 10:22, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

I reverted my mistake. Again sorry everyone. Oda Mari (talk) 10:29, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the explanations. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 21:30, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

can someone comment here

Talk:Point Isabel Regional Shoreline about whether the fact that Laci Peterson's remains where found at this park, and Talk:Potrero Hills whether, Chevron Richmond Refinery is a proper noun? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Boomgaylove (talk • contribs) 21:02, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes the official name of something is also a phrase that describes it. Then it's a matter of style which way to treat it, i.e. correct either way. I think most people would write "Chevron Richmond refinery." --Anonymous, 05:31 UTC, February 19, 2008.