The evolution of the meaning of the color term “đen” in Vietnamese (Survey of some Vietnamese explanatory dictionaries)

Abstract

This article analyzes the primary and derivative meanings of the basic color term “đen”  (meaning "black" in Vietnamese) across 7 Vietnamese dictionaries spanning different  stages.  The study unravel the semantic characteristics and the evolution  of this term  in the Vietnamese dictionariies  in particular and in the Vietnamese language in general.