# Pale Red?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pale-red/233477>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 10, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pale-red/233477 "2004-03-10T13:38:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pale-red/233477/61 "2004-03-24T14:39:03Z")

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> [@hibernicus](#):
>
> T(there isn’t really a language called Gaelic)

Sure there is. In fact, there are two. One pronounced “gay-lick” and one pronounced “gal-ick”.

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**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pale-red/233477/62 "2004-03-24T16:08:11Z")

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**j66** ’s earlier list of words for “orange” in various languages included the Japanese “daidaiiro” (that’s the romanization). This term is actually no longer in common use in Japan. As a foreigner, I’ve been rewarded with applause just for knowing it! Nowadays most people say “orenji”, which is obviously a Japanization of the English “orange”.

But what does “daidaiiro” mean? Well, “iro” is simply “color”; many names of colors end with this character. So the word means “daidai-colored” or “the color of a daidai”. Okay, so what is a “daidai”? I’ve never heard the word spoken, so I turned to my various Japanese language reference materials and after a few minutes managed to determine that a “daidai” is…a kind of orange! So the Japanese word for the color _also_ derives from the name of the fruit.

I am tempted to conclude that any culture with a word for “orange” just named the color after the fruit, and that any culture without exposure to the fruit has little need for a unique word for that specific color. It’s just not that useful. Even in modern English the word “red” is used to describe hair or fur that is actually orange in color.

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**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pale-red/233477/63 "2004-03-24T20:00:06Z")

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[QUOTE=Lampare]  
I really want to become a poet, but I have had a heckuva time coming up with a word to rhyme with “orange”.QUOTE]

As I was sittin’, eatin’ an orange,  
I ‘eard the squeakin’ of the door 'inge…

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**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pale-red/233477/64 "2004-03-25T02:18:23Z")

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> [@John W. Kennedy](#):
>
> Sure there is. In fact, there are two. One pronounced “gay-lick” and one pronounced “gal-ick”.

I won’t argue the point. I’ll just say that if someone asks me whether I speak “Gaelic” it is probably useful to answer that I speak “Irish”, since I make no claim to speak Scottish or Manx.

If I hear an _Irish_ person use the word “Gaelic” in a language context, I will actually assume they mean Scottish, since most Irish people call Irish “Irish”.

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