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A developmental study of the acquisition of colour terms in Setswana*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Ian Davies ,
Greville Corbett ,
Harry McGurk  and
David Jerrett
Ian Davies*
Affiliation:
University of Surrey
Greville Corbett
Affiliation:
University of Surrey
Harry McGurk
Affiliation:
University of Surrey
David Jerrett
Affiliation:
University of Surrey
*
Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH, UK.
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Abstract

We report a study of the acquisition of colour terms by speakers of Setswana, the language of Botswana in Southern Africa. This was carried out as a test of Berlin & Kay's theory of colour term universals, on a language with less than the maximum complement of eleven basic colour terms, and in order to document changes in Setswana under the impact of economic development. Seventy-seven five- to nine-year-olds were studied on two colour tasks: elicited lists and colour naming. In general the data were consistent with Berlin & Kay's theory: the rank order of frequency of correct use of colour terms was similar to the order of the Berlin & Kay hierarchy; and primary colour terms were offered more frequently and were more likely to be used correctly than secondary colour terms. The use of English colour terms was prevalent, especially amongst the younger groups, but they functioned as substitutes for Setswana terms, rather than as a means to fill the vacant basic colour term slots.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , October 1994 , pp. 693 - 712
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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Footnotes

[*]

This work was funded by the ESRC, grant numbers: R 000 23 1958 and R 000 23 3978. This support is gratefully acknowledged.

References

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