Speaking a language with different words for different color shades allows the brain to perceive those shades quicker than using a language with only one word for that color, according to new research. The findings highlight the important interaction between language and perception.
Our eyes can see millions of distinct colors. Yet, when it comes to using our mouths – specifically the language we speak – to describe them, we’re somewhat limited, with some languages limiting us more than others.
In English, for example, there are 11 basic color words: black, white, red, green, yellow, blue, brown, orange, pink, purple and gray. The Russian language has two words for blue: goluboy, which is used to describe lighter shades, and siniy, which is used for darker ones. Likewise, Lithuanian uses žydra and mėlyna to denote light blue and dark blue, respectively. Whereas, if you speak Norwegian, you’re limited to one basic word for blue: blå.
In a new study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University of Oslo (UiO), researchers found that speaking a language with multiple words for different color shades allows the brain to perceive the shades more quickly than someone who speaks a language with only one word.
“Our study revealed that the bilingual participants’ ability to distinguish between shades of color was influenced by the language they used while performing the task,” said Mila Dimitrova Vulchanova, a professor in NTNU’s Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab and one of the study’s co-authors. “These findings shed light on the dynamic interplay between language and perception, i.e. our perception of sensory input.
“Our results also refer to the dynamic link between language and cognition, i.e. the brain’s ability to receive, process and express the information,” Vulchanova continues. “Our research and research done by others show that this is a two-way process. This means that language can activate and influence cognitive categories, and vice versa, that cognitive mechanisms and categories influence language.”
The researchers recruited 106 study participants who were either Lithuanian-Norwegian bilinguals or spoke only Lithuanian or Norwegian (monolingual). All participants performed a task whereby they were asked to discriminate between different shades of blue on a scale from one to 20. The task was performed with and without verbal interference; that is, in the verbal interference task, the researchers asked participants to remember eight spoken random digits before commencing the color discrimination task. The color differentiation task without verbal interference represented the control condition of the experiment.
They found that the bilingual participants’ color perception was affected by the language they activated during the task. Specifically, the so-called ‘color category effect’ – where, say, green and blue (between-category colors) are more easily distinguished than two colors from the same category – was seen when the color discrimination task was conducted with verbal inference in Lithuanian but not when it was conducted in Norwegian. Put simply, bilingual participants distinguished between light and dark blue faster when they were thinking in Lithuanian, an advantage that disappeared when they were thinking in Norwegian.
The monolingual Lithuanian participants also showed a color category effect, whereas the monolingual Norwegians didn’t, suggesting that those using a language with two words for blue were able to define the different shades quicker than those using a language with only one.
“This supports the idea that the language we use can affect how we perceive colors – and that this link is very dynamic and dependent on the activation in the brain,” Vulchanova said. “This suggests that language not only shapes how we communicate about color, but also affects the color categories that establish themselves in the brain during childhood – and that this can directly affect how we perceive shades of color.”
Humans attach particular symbolism to colors; we respond to them biologically, culturally, and personally. For example, red is the color of blood and is often associated not only with love and lust but also with danger and aggression. Its link to danger is why stop signs are universally red. Blue often symbolizes serenity and stability or wisdom and reliability, but it can also represent sadness and depression (as in the saying, “I’m feeling blue”). Yellow can be associated with joy and sunshine, cowardice or fear – “yellow-bellied” – and is also used for warning signs, school buses and taxis because it stands out. So, color is inextricably linked to psychology, science, and emotion.
The study was published in the journal Language Learning.
Source: NTNU