Color Perception. Is Whorf right? Do color terms affect color perception? E-Book

Melissa Grönebaum

• Herausgeber: GRIN Verlag
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Other, grade: 1,3, University of Kassel, language: English, abstract: The Question if color perception is shaped by language or language is shaped by color perception is a classic nature versus nurture, universalists versus relativity, debate. The Whorf hypothesis suggests the idea that humans, at least trichromats, view the world filtered through the lens of their native language. The Universalists view instead, holds that language does not affect the perception of color but the other way around. Over the years, both of these standardly opposed views have oscillated. The following paper will review recent data and argue that none of the classic views can be fully supported. Regarded by itself, neither the one nor the other view is an answer to the question above. Moreover, the right answer should be regarded as a relativists-universalists symbiosis. Furthermore, in this paper it will be analyze that Whorf was half right, since tests on memory and reaction time have shown that language affects perception only in the right visual field.

Leseprobe

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Abstract

The Question if color perception is shaped by language or language is shaped by color perception is a classic nature versus nurture, universalists versus relativity, debate. The Whorf hypothesis suggests the idea that humans, at least trichromats, view the world filtered through the lens of their native language. The Universalists view instead, holds that language does not affect the perception of color but the other way around. Over the years, both of these standardly opposed views have oscillated. The following paper will review recent data and argue that none of the classic views can be fully supported. Regarded by itself, neither the one nor the other view is an answer to the question above. Moreover, the right answer should be regarded as a relativists-universalists symbiosis. Furthermore, in this paper it will be analyze that Whorf was half right, since tests on memory and reaction time have shown that language affects perception only in the right visual field.

INDEX

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. The debate of language and perception – nature versus nurture

2.1 CONTRA Whorf – universalists point of view

2.1. 1. Berinmo Color Naming System

2.1.2. Well-formedness

2.2 PRO Whorf – relativity point of view

2.2.1 Wiggle rooms

2.2.2. Perception and the visual field

3. Consequences for language teaching in class

4. Conclusion

References

APPENDIX

1. Introduction

Colors are everywhere. One sees them, recognizes them, defines them, and talks about them. But what are “colors” and how can it be possible that one is able to talk about them? How are the relations between language and perception, if color naming varies across different languages? Those are questions which has not been completely solved yet but caused great discussions between linguistic universals and linguistics relativity.

Color definition does differ across language; at least this is for sure. An obvious example is the difference between English and German which one can discover easily. In German it is distinguished nicely between “rosa” and “pink”, if somebody from the USA instead sees a color which Germans define as “rosa” he or she will claim that the shown color is simply “pink”. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, the definition of color is not as easy as it seems on the first view. Clearly defined colors as red or green of traffic lights will not cause any discussion - at least not between trichromats who are not color blind and originate from the same culture. As soon as it comes to colors like green and yellow the tide turns: who decides when a greenish yellow becomes green or a yellowish green becomes yellow? And how can discussions like the following be solved – if at all: a father defines the socks he wears as black, which seem bluish-gray to the daughter and the mother defines them as anthracite. Who is right? Will the father’s friend be able to solve this situation, even if he has never heard of a color term called “anthracite”, because he does not have a wife at all who could have taught him this term, which seems to be much unknown in society, especially in men-society?

 One can see how different color perception seems to be, even across different families.

Additionally, there will be even heavier discussions when we choose an intercultural comparison: out in the world there are languages which do not even distinguish between yellow and green or black, gray, and blue. For people from other cultures with different native languages the task to learn the other’s color categorization is, as experiments by Davidoff and colleagues have shown sometimes very difficult [comp. Davidoff 1999]. How can that be and what is responsible for such differences in color perception? Does this phenomenon have anything to do with culture and different ways of life? Or is it simply overrated that in some languages colors, which are determined as two, three or even more colors in English, are put together into one large color category in other languages? To add on, what about some languages which only discriminate light, dark and color? Could it be that at root all languages have a universal basic and color perception shapes each language? Or is it the other way round and languages as well as culture are responsible for the way humans concept color?

In the 1950’s and 60’s the relativity hypothesis, which also Mr. Benjamin Whorf supported, was very plausible to some researchers. Since it was “known that different language had color terms that segment the color spectrum at different places” [Stated by Stanford], it seemed obviously possible to them that color perception was determined by language.

On the other pole, there was the universalist view, which was widespread as well. The universalists hold, that there is no relation between languages in a way that language shapes color perception, more over they claim that it is the other way round.

No matter which opinion people had, the point was that it always was either the one or the other and so a lot of discussions came up. Over time, discussions and researches went on and one found out that the question’s solution was not that simple.

In this research paper several tests, researches, and recent data will be presented and compared. Different researchers will be introduced and universalists will be supported and challenged as well as the relativity point of view. Furthermore, a conclusion will be drawn from the analyzed material and an answer to the question if Whorf was right in his idea that color perception is affected by semantic terms of native language, will be given in the end.

2. The debate of language and perception – nature versus nurture

The relation of language and perception has been discussed for a while and an end of this discussion and a real solution of the problem has not been found yet. The debate goes on and on, day after day, year after year.

On the one pole there are the universalists who hold that color categories are universally grouped together around universal six focal colors which are in English white, black, green, red, yellow and blue. As found by Eleanor Rosch those colors are easier and more accurately remembered by language learners than other colors; the color memory seemed to be privileged for focal colors in every language. In other words, this could mean that there exists a universal basis, a repertoire for color naming, thought and memory. To clarify this point, findings like this leads to the assumption that no matter which culture one belongs to or which language is the native language, the perception of color is always the same; color perception shapes language.