In the Mursi community there are no terms for colors
colors are named and distinguished based on the patterns manifested in the cattle they keep. The Mursi speakers have the ability to distinguish every color whether natural or artificially occurring by their habitual use of cattle patterns. Therefore, the perception of color, shade, light that is found in their environment is highly connected to the configuration of color in cattle (Turton 1980, 320).
Argument
Turton in his article asserts that in the Mursi community and other East African community like the Dinka, the terms used to refer to color are highly engraved in the natural and the social environment of the people. In this case, the Mursi community name colors based on the light and shade patterns in their cattle. Furthermore, he proved that the color patterns are all the same universally despite the fact that different communities refers to them based on the environmental stimuli that they best relate with. Notably, there are eleven salient colors that are universally recognizable, and the differences that occur are as a result of the different stages experienced in the process of chronology. Also, there is a given number of colors that are salient to all human beings. Therefore, in the Mursi community color naming is based on their culture. According to the hypotheses done, the colors terms used in reference to the cattle are exhaustive of all the basic colors known to human beings across the world's communities (Turton 1980, 327).
Textual Connection
The article on the Hamlet's story by Bohannan adequately supports the idea expressed by Turton of how the colors are assigned individually by the communities based on the environmental stimuli, but are universally recognizable (Bohannan 1966, 28). In her article she attests that the human nature is the same across the world and that the motivation behind the occurrence of some tragedies like the death of chiefs, and inheritance of power is the same in every community. Slight differences may occur due to the differences in the customs and translation difficulties. The elders in the communities have role of performing rituals, offer mediation service in conflicts and provide explanation to the community's linguistic history. Evidently, the elders in West Africa have never gone to school, so they cannot read, but they are able to provide meaning to the writer's story though it happened miles away. Besides, they were able to fill in the missing part in the story. Therefore, anthropological linguistic is the same everywhere (Bohannan 1966, 34).
Implications
Turton finds a strong link between the cultural and social environmental and the names of colors that communities use. The Mursi community as well as other communities residing within the East African region name colors using cattle which are their major source of livelihood. Notably, they are taught to distinguish and categories the cattle based on the color, shade and light patterns (Turton 1980, 322). Although they have no word in their language that could mean color in English, their way of relating to the contrast and similarities in the cattle provides an exhaustive naming of all the colors salient to all human being. Bohannan support the idea by relating the linguistic stories in West Africa to those of Europe, whereby language, culture, customs and traditions differ, but the motivation behind tragedies in life are the same everywhere (Bohannan 1966, n.p). In essence, just like color naming is universal; linguistic among the communities is also universal.
References
Bohannan, L., 1966. Shakespeare in the Bush. Language: Readings in Language and Culture, pp.27-36.
Turton, D., 1980. There's no such beast: Cattle and color naming among the Mursi. Man, pp.320-338.
