FORUM FOR ANTHROPOLOGY AND CULTURE

ANTROPOLOGICHESKIJ FORUM
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Antropologicheskij forum, 2016, no. 29

 

COLOUR PERCEPTION AMONG RUSSIAN AND KOMI SPEAKERS IN THE KOMI REPUBLIC, RUSSIA: ON THE RELATION BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT

Kirill Istomin

Institute of Language, Literature and History, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Science
26 Kommunisticheskaya Str., GSP-2, Syktyvkar, Russia
kistomin()naver.com

Irina Ilina

Institute of Language, Literature and History, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Science
26 Kommunisticheskaya Str., GSP-2, Syktyvkar, Russia
ilina56()mail.ru

Oleg Ulyashev

Institute of Language, Literature and History, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Science
26 Kommunisticheskaya Str., GSP-2, Syktyvkar, Russia
oulyashev()mail.ru

Abstract: It has been argued that linguistic color categories, despite the fact that their number can vary between languages, are themselves universal and based on physiologically conditioned distinctions. Recently it has been demonstrated that Russian speakers, whose language has separate terms for light and dark blue, discriminate between objects of corresponding hues faster than English speakers. In our study, we tested if language also physiologically conditions more sound discrimination between cold and warm hues. We compared Russian speakers to speakers of Komi language, where green and yellow make up one category, and there is only one category for blue. Russian speakers outperformed Komi speakers in discriminating between light and dark blue objects as well as yellow and green objects. However, Komi speakers were faster in discriminating yellow and green objects than light and dark blue objects. Therefore, language influences discrimination between warm and cold hues, but this effect is weaker in the case of two cold hues.

Keywords: color perception, language and cognition, Basic Color Terms (BCT), Finno-Ugric languages, Slavic languages, Komis, Russians.

To cite: Istomin K., Ilina I., Ulyashev O., 'Vospriyatie tsveta u russko- i komiyazychnogo naseleniya Respubliki Komi: eshche raz k voprosu o svyazi yazyka i myshleniya' [Colour Perception among Russian and Komi Speakers in the Komi Republic, Russia: On the Relation between Language and Thought], Antropologicheskij forum, 2016, no. 29, pp. 9–37.

URL: http://anthropologie.kunstkamera.ru/files/pdf/029/istomin_ilyina_ulyashev.pdf