Glossary

English	Russian	Kazakh
scrutiny	рассмотрение	қарастыру
infinity	бесконечность	шексiздiк
refraction	преломление	сынуы
perceive	воспринимать	қабылдау
dignity	достоинство	қадыр
convey	передавать	беру
suppressant	подавление	басу, жаншу

Green

G reen is no longer just a color. It's now the symbol of ecology .

Since the beginning of time, green has signified growth, rebirth, and fertility. In pagan times, there was the "Green Man" - a symbol of fertility. In Muslim countries, it is a holy color and in Ireland, a lucky color. It was the color of the heavens in the Ming Dynasty.

Today's greens can be found in a wide range of objects: pea soup, delicate celadon glazes, sleazy shag carpet, sickly bathroom walls, emeralds, wasabi, and sage. The English language reflects some strange attributes: Would you rather be green with envy, green behind the ears, or green around the gills? (Idiomatic American English for extremely envious, immature or nauseated.)

Green is universally associated with nature. Green symbolizes ecology and the environment. Traffic lights are green all over the world.

Unique Meanings of Green in Different Cultures

In China, Green may symbolize infidelity. A green hat symbolizes that a man's wife is cheating on him. In Israel, green may symbolize bad news. In Japan, the words for blue and green ("ao") are the same. In Spain, racy jokes are "green."

Luck or Bad Luck?

Green is a lucky culture in most Western cultures. A green shamrock symbolizes this. You won't find many green cars at racetracks because they are considered unlucky. Circus and traveling showmen in Australia may consider green to be bad luck.

An old English rhyme about wedding colors: "Married in green, Ashamed to be seen."

Designing with Green

There are more shades of green than that of any other color. Greens range from yellow-greens, such as lime and avocado greens, to those with a blue tinge (such as emerald). Aqua or turquoise are colors that are typically half green and half blue.

Color Blindness

Approximately 5% - 8% of men and 0.5% of women of the world are born colorblind. People who are protans (red weak) and deutans (green weak) comprise 99% of this group.

Some European countries have outlined certain traffic light colors so that it is clear which is green and which is red, by the color that has a rectangle around it. Some states in the U.S. have placed diagonal lines through green traffic lights as an aid for the colorblind.

Signage: Green vs. Red Exit Signs

G reen exit signs have an important advantage when there is smoke in the air (in other words, when a fire is burning). With red exit signs, it looks like a fire - firemen have actually rushed into burning buildings and tried to put out the signs! With a green sign, people know it isn't the fire itself but the way to safety.

Not only should Exit signs be Green to correspond to the established International Standard for Safety Signs since the early 70's but they should also have the International Standard Graphical symbol for exit as given in ISO 6309 and ISO/DIS 3864 Part 1 and Part 2. It is time to consider that all exit signs should be the same throughout the world. There also myths about the Effects of Green on the Body. For example: when one sleeps on a pea-green pillow, it prevents baldness.

Green is the best color for pregnant women.

Feng Shui claims that green eases absent-mindedness, nervousness and rudeness.

The Evolution of the Symbolism of Green in Western culture

In Celtic myths the Green man was the God of fertility.

Later in the millennium, Early Christians banned green because it had been used in pagan ceremonies.

Nevertheless, as evidenced by Van Eyck's 15th Century wedding portrait, the color green was the best choice for the bride's gown because of its earliest symbolism.

Of note is the continued symbolism attached to the color in the latter part of this century. Anyone who chooses a green m & m (an American candy which contains an assortment of different colored chocolate sweets) is sending a somewhat similar message.

Read the text carefully and answer the questions:

1. What kind of colour is green?

2. Where green is a holy colour?

3. Does it have any meanings in different cultures?

4. Why do people associate it with nature and ecology?

5. Why do Early Christians ban green?