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Is the naming of colours subjective?

(81 Posts)
Mamma66 Fri 21-Feb-20 07:01:29

I had an email from a well known store promoting ‘teal’ cushions. To me teal is turquoise with a hint of black; same colour range but without the zingy brightness of turquoise.

The cushion was green.

I always thought that colours were standard, but now I am not so sure. Any thoughts?

Callistemon Fri 21-Feb-20 14:54:54

How about this for the name of a colour midway between purple and maroon:

Puroon - a word invented by 7 year old DGD the other week.
It described it exactly.

Callistemon Fri 21-Feb-20 14:52:04

I bought some yarn which is 'petrol' I colour.

Actually, nothing like petrol, it is a lovely shade of dark turquoisey blue.

Mamma66 Fri 21-Feb-20 14:39:00

What fascinating answers ?

Theoddbird Fri 21-Feb-20 14:17:12

I love colours. I have a good colour eye....can tell minute differences in things that others say are the same colour. I love it that there are different names for them all...as they are different smile

pollyperkins Fri 21-Feb-20 13:56:17

To me teal is greeny blue ie more green than blue whereas turquoise is bluey green (more blue with a green tinge..)
I have a coat which I call green and DH calls blue. I think it’s teal.

grandtanteJE65 Fri 21-Feb-20 13:51:24

Yes, I believe the naming of colours is subjective. The minute you learn a foreign language you notice that colours are defined differently.

As a young woman my hair would be described in English as chestnut with copper glints - brown in other words.

In Spain I was called "La Rubia" the blonde woman.

My Italian teacher maintained that Italian has no concept for the colour we call maroon, as brown is marrone in Italian.

Here in Denmark people tend to call shades blue, which I regard as green.

Coolgran65 Fri 21-Feb-20 13:47:31

DH and I can never agree on some shades of blue and grey.

sarahellenwhitney Fri 21-Feb-20 13:42:49

Mamma66
I go with your view of Teal but as with 'beauty' colour too is in the eye of the beholder.

4allweknow Fri 21-Feb-20 13:23:26

Teal does seem to be more green than blue nowadays. Was looking for duvet covers on the green theme. Saw a pattern liked but was described as real. Only on reading reviews where there were loads of comments about the colour being green. Ordered and delighted I did. Green!

MamaCaz Fri 21-Feb-20 12:39:45

We once had a (light/pale) green carpet, but OH insisted it was beige! grin

Blinko Fri 21-Feb-20 12:02:07

That's why printers and other experts in design and colour use the Pantone system. Each shade on the colour wheel is assigned a number so all concerned know they're talking about the same colour or shade. Then is doesn't matter if some call it blue, green, teal or whatever.

Sara65 Fri 21-Feb-20 11:59:25

Personally I can’t see any blue in teal, but I often disagree over pinks/reds with my daughter, and a room I have which is painted in F&B pelt, which I see as very deep aubergine, she sees as black.

BusterTank Fri 21-Feb-20 11:44:39

Teal is a bluey green colour .

annifrance Fri 21-Feb-20 11:40:35

Love teal. I have used Dylon Emerald green and it's definitely teal! It's given a whole new lease of life to tired looking pale but good condition sheets, pillowcases, crochet cover and towels.

Baggs Fri 21-Feb-20 11:20:54

I think responses colour are often subjective. I once described something as "redder" than something else that was also red. Everyone else understood exactly what I meant but DH started a lecture on chroma, hue and saturation* ?. Thing is, he's red/green colour blind, so he doesn't see colours, reds in particular, as other people see them anyhow.

*All very interesting if you need to know.

Oopsadaisy3 Fri 21-Feb-20 11:02:30

Colour also varies from printer to printer and computer to iPad

Not to mention different lighting.

00mam00 Fri 21-Feb-20 10:51:18

What my Mother saw as red, was distinctly pink to me. So colour is in the eye of the beholder. hmm

Moggycuddler Fri 21-Feb-20 10:50:19

I have some bedroom curtains that were described as teal. They are definitely a shade of blue. I like them anyway!

grandMattie Fri 21-Feb-20 10:40:52

In French, there is a proverb that states that "one should NEVER discuss taste or colour". It intimates that it is all very subjective, e.g. while turquoise is emphatically blue to me, it is definitely green to DH...

jaylucy Fri 21-Feb-20 10:31:38

I have often wondered about how we see colour , which comes down to the rods and cones in the structure of the retina.
I mean, if I say something to me is sky blue for instance, does everyone else see the same shade of blue as I do?
Greens are always dicey, being made up of two colours , so maybe to some that teal cushion would look to me as the dark turquoise that I consider it as, and to you, Mamma66 as green .
Does it make a difference if you are colour blind with a colour like teal ?

suziewoozie Fri 21-Feb-20 09:13:07

This article is fascinating - the Candoshi people don’t even have the concept of colour
www.sapiens.org/language/color-perception/

B9exchange Fri 21-Feb-20 08:57:54

It's Bathsheba's colour to me. But people do see colours differently, remember the black/blue or gold dress? DH and I disagree quite often on what is blue and what is green!

Ginny42 Fri 21-Feb-20 08:52:04

Is it not a bluey-green?

Marydoll Fri 21-Feb-20 07:49:40

Teal is my favourite colour too, Baggs.

Slightly off piste. Years ago, due to medication I was taking, I had to get my colour vision checked annually at the eye hospital.

The test consisted of about thirty balls in shades of every hue, which had to be graded in colour and tone. There were only slight differences between them.
The opthamologist said she had never seen them graded so quickly and accurately.
So to answer your question, teal is green. grin

Sara65 Fri 21-Feb-20 07:41:24

I have some painted furniture in one room, the colour I chose was teal, I really dislike most shades of green, but love this, it looks so good with deep purple.