Lexicalization patterns in color naming in Gbaya, a Ubanguian language of CAR

In this chapter, I show that Gbaya, a Ubanguian language of the Central African Republic, does not lexically distinguish color from the visual aspect resulting from a variety of parameters. I first analyze in detail the lexical terms and the grammatical devices that Gbaya uses for color naming. Then, I discuss how Gbaya speakers put these terms into actual use in a daily task. Gbaya illustrates the main role played by grammar to organize the lexicon according to properties expressed by adjectives, processes expressed by verbs, and visual conspicuousness express by nouns. Beyond language idiosyncrasies, the case of Gbaya illustrates, once more ( Wierzbicka, 2008 ), a possible universal tendency among hunter-gatherers in the partition of the visual aspect.