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Why is colour naming difficult?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 1999

NICK BRAISBY  and
JULIE DOCKRELL
NICK BRAISBY
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, London Guildhall University
JULIE DOCKRELL
Affiliation:
Division of Psychology, South Bank University
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Abstract

A suggestion exists in the child language literature that the meanings of natural kind terms are acquired before the meanings of colour terms. Explanations have typically claimed that object terms are more salient than property terms. Such explanations, however, tend to ignore the fact that natural kind terms refer to categories with sharp, clear boundaries while colour terms refer to categories with unclear or variable boundaries. Nonetheless, there has been little evidence to show that the delay in the acquisition of colour terms arises from these semantic properties. This study compares natural kind and colour naming (and corresponding comprehension) by 48 children, ranging in age from 3;0 to 5;5. The results suggest that, contra the salience view, the apparent delay in colour naming may be explained on solely semantic grounds.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , February 1999 , pp. 23 - 47
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

The order of authorship is alphabetical. We are grateful to Robin Campbell, Edward Chan, John Clibbens, Robin Cooper, Bradley Franks, James Hampton, Helen Moss, Philip Smith and two anonymous referees for helpful comments and discussions; and to Jonathan Patrizio for help with data entry. Nick Braisby also acknowledges the British Academy under the partial support of whose postdoctoral research fellowship this research was conducted.