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Language Lessons For The Twelve Signs: Gemini

(There are those who will tell you that “astrology is a language.” If you know much about languages, you know that sometimes one language will come up with a word or phrase for a unique concept that other languages haven’t caught onto — but maybe should have. In that spirit, we present this series.)

The Sign: Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

The Word: οἶνοψ πόντος (oinops pontos), Ancient Greek

Meaning: “Wine-dark sea”

Example:

GEMINI’S FRIEND: Okay, which shirt should I get… the blue one, or the green one?

GEMINI: That’s a really good question. Did you know that our use of language appears to shape our perception of color? Like for example, in ancient Greek when Homer was writing The Odyssey he used the term “oinops pontos” to describe the water Odysseus was sailing on… but the only other usage in Homer of the word oinops, he used it to describe the color of cattle.

GEMINI’S FRIEND: Yes but which shirt —

GEMINI: I mean really, blue-green cows? That doesn’t make any sense. He also referred to the sky as being bronze-colored, and he use the adjective chloros (which means “green”) to honey. I mean, what’s with that? Would you eat green honey?

GEMINI’S FRIEND: I just need your opin —

GEMINI: In fact, studies have shown that Ancient Greek is not the only language that described color differently than we do. In Ancient Egyptian for example, the word wadjet covers blue and green and the colors in between the two of them. And modern Albanian has two completely different words for light blue and dark blue!

GEMINI’S FRIEND: I swear I’m never going clothes shopping with you again.