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Wed 18 Nov, 2015 02:57 am
Hello,
In the song "A whiter shade of pale", what is the meaning of 'pale'?
According to the dictionary, pale is an adjective but here, it seems to be
a noun. In the dictionary, as a noun, pale means fence or post, but it doesn't
refer to the colour as it seems in the song.
The noun coming from the adjective pale is paleness and not 'pale'.
So, is it possible in English to use an adjective as a noun ? In this case,
here, 'pale' could mean 'paleness'.
Thank you for your help.
Have a good day.
@milimi,
Pale is not being used as a noun. Pale, as an adjective, means lacking in color. In a person of European origin, a person who is commonly referred to as "white," to become more pale would mean to become more white. From Merriam-Webster's online dictionary:
having a skin color that is closer to white than is usual or normal. So, a whiter shade of pale is simply an intensifier of this definition of pale.
@milimi,
In songs and poetry, the author has a lot of artistic license, so you can't always expect descriptive grammar or even word functions/parts of speech to always be used in the standard ways. Here, "pale" is being forced to work as a noun in the same way that a color would be. "A redder shade of red," for example.
@FBM,
Thank you for your reply.
@selectmytutor,
Thank you, selectmytutor, for your reply.
@Setanta,
Thank you for your reply, Setanta.
You're welcome, thank you for your courtesy.
The guy who wrote that song, the organist, had a legal battle for years about royalties with the guy who wrote the lyrics (such as they are) who was credited as the composer.
For decades the organist got nothing after the session fee. I believe a resolution has belatedly been arrived at.
Sorry to end my sentence with a preposition. But it's better than a proposition.
@McTag,
I'm glad the OP did not ask us about "skip the light fandango". I'd probably pass.
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