Colour - Explanations for Variation in Categories

Question 1

Evolution of Universalism

Answer 1

From categories organised around universal focal colours (Berlin & Kay, 1969; Regier et al., 2005) to colour-naming reflecting optimal divisions of irregularly shaped perceptual colour space (Regier et al., 2007), as Roberson et al (2005) showed best examples to fall outside of clustering with six Hering colours, and that category boundaries vary

Question 2

Davidoff et al (1999) testing Regier et al (2007)

Answer 2

Asked (1) Berinmo and English speakers to learn opposite language’s categories; (2) categorise stimuli in manner consonant with colour names of own language; (3) learn distinction not marked in either language (that between two types of green)

Found (1) Berinmo found G1-G2 division no harder than blue-green, but English blue-green easier; (2) Berinmo found nol-wor easier than yellow-green task, whereas English reverse

Tasks in which pps divided stimuli varying in hue, lightness, and saturation, into two colour categories, are performed better if division corresponds to linguistic, rather than supposed universal, distinction

Question 3

Lindsey and Brown (2002) Lens Brunescence Hypothesis

Answer 3

The last major process in systematic order of development of basic colour terms (Berlin & Kay, 1969) is blue, and cross-linguistic variation here (green, dark, grue etc.)

May be due to regional variations in rate of aging of ocular lens - yellow pigments accumulate in lens through age, preferentially absorbing short-wavelength light and causing brunescence of the lens

Abnormally high optical density of ocular lens well-known phototoxic effect of sunlight rich in UV-B, and high exposure to UV-B accelerates aging of the lens

Reviewed 203 languages (industrialised and not; range in geographical distributions, number of speakers, cultures) and found significantly relationship between UV dosage and colour naming: in low-UV, generally have blue, but high-UV languages without blue

Tested in experiment: clear and brunescent lenses to young native speakers of English, naming Munsell chips blue when clear, but naming colours as in tropical languages when lens was denser

Majid (2018) - those born in winter months above Arctic Circle demonstrate differences in colour discrimination to those below Arctic Circle

Doesn’t require all members of society to suffer (IDs in exposure and susceptibility to phototoxic effects), but importance of communication implies need for high agreement

Question 4

Lens Brunescence Hypothesis Criticisms

Answer 4

Direct link between changes in perception and colour naming still to be established (Hardy et al., 2005), and refuting evidence using same experimental colorimetric design

Didn’t account for language contact and inheritance of terms from shared proto-language (confounds), excluded cultural complexity and environmental influences

Question 5

Josserand et al (2021)

Answer 5

Reinvestigated and did find language to have blue when spoken by larger population, at higher altitudes, nearer large bodies of standing water > support for Lens Brunescence but shows importance of culture and interaction with environment

Question 6

Wnuk et al (2022) - Refuting Colour Technology Hypothesis

Answer 6

Claims exist that colour highly lexicalised for communication, but pressure to lexicalise less strong when colour not reliable for distinguishing between objects > in non-industrialised societies, colours in environment rarely only distinctive object feature

Majid et al (2018) no link between colour technologies and colour codability

Maniq nomadic people in rainforests of Thailand, with ~300 speakers, mobile, no colour technology, but rich and efficient colour language, used for naturally-coloured objects and animals in communication

Using naming data and focal data for colour chips, showed that relative to other hunter-gatherer languages, Maniq colour system highly codable, relatively efficient, and well-formed, even in comparison to languages that share same linguistic origin (Recent development), those that share environments, and another language which has contact with Thai (not related to influence of Thai language

Question 7

Overall Explanation

Answer 7

Account that incorporates a general approach towards natural colour space, maximising well-formedness (Regier et al., 2007), but that communicative need (language) augments categories to account for culture-specific customs and interactions with environment