Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-81).

Previous behavioral and neuroimaging findings (Drivonikou, et al., 2007; Gilbert, et al., 2006; Tan, et al., 2008; Siok, et al., 2009) indicate that reaction times to targets in visual search are faster in the right than the left visual field when the target and distractor colors straddle a category boundary. This phenomenon is known as the lateralized categorical color perception, which supports the weaker form of Whorf’s hypothesis that linguistic information shapes color perception. Yet, these studies did not demonstrate a definite cause and effect relation between language and perception. The observed lateralized category effect of color perception may either rely on the individual’s innate color categories or his linguistic experience. In the present study, we used an intensive training method to study categorical perception (CP) of color. We aimed to show a definite causal relation between language and perception. In Experiment 1, 37 native Mandarin speakers were tested with a color discrimination task. We taught 20 participants four new linguistic items for the four stimulus colors which were initially from the same lexical category (two blues and two greens) whilst other participants did not learn any new color names. Performances between the two groups were compared before and after training. Experiment 2 was based on Zhou et al.’s (2010) behavioral study, in which we used the same training procedure and measured and contrasted 19 participants’ brain structure before and after training. In experiment 1, participants exhibited lateralized Whorf effect when performing the visual search task at the pre-training phase. After training, the experimental group successfully acquired the new color names, reflected by overall shorter reaction time and higher task accuracy, while the control group did not show significant difference in the performance across two phases. The improved performance of experimental group implicated that the newly learned categories altered participants’ color perception pattern. However, we failed to show lateralized Whorf effect at the post-training phase due to several experimental flaws. In Experiment 2, gray matter density is found to increase in color region of the left visual cortex after a short-term training (less than two hours). The data provided strong structural evidence for newly-learned categorical color perception and also suggested structural plasticity of the human brain. The results from this study indicate that language experience shapes perception, both functionally and structurally, after a period of learning that is much shorter than previously established (Draganski, 2004; Carreiras, et al., 2009; Trachtenberg, 2002). / published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

Eighteen two-year-olds and twenty four-year-olds were studied as to their knowledge and use of eleven colour terms: BLUE,GREEN,RED,YELLOW,BLACK,WHITE,GREY,BROWN,PURPLE, ORANGE, and PINK. Level of acquisition was determined by a production (naming) task, a comprehension (selection) task, and a discrimination (matching) task. The objectives were to examine various performance differences in light of possible evolutionary, perceptual and environmental factors and aspects of general lexical development. Performance accuracy was found to have no correlations with the evolutionary order proposed by Berlin & Kay, nor did it reveal the strong conceptual groups of primary, non-primary and achromatic colours which have been proposed by other studies. In particular, the non-primary colours did not behave as a group in any of the analyses. Measures of input and practice obtained from parental questionnaires also showed few correlations of environment with task performance. For various reasons, this information was considered unreliable and no claims about environment as a determinant in naming behavior could be made. Performance was notably more accurate in four-year-olds than in the two-year-olds. More terms had been acquired by the older group than by the younger, the average being eight terms and two terms respectively, and six of the older group had acquired all eleven colour terms. Comprehension was more advanced for both ages than, production, although more terms were produced than were comprehended. No sex differences were found at all. Further analyses concentrated on production performance. As expected, the number of colour terms used increased with age and their use became more stable with age. There was no one colour term that appeared in all of the subjects' lexicons, but the colour terms most likely to appear were the primaries and the non-primary ORANGE. BLUE showed a marked, though not significant, preference at both ages and several possible reasons are suggested for this. GREY, as expected, appeared least frequently, followed by the achromatics. Colour terms used most accurately were ORANGE and PINK. These appear to be the first colour categories to emerge with separate labels, followed by the primary colours and GREY again ranking lowest. There were no terms which had been acquired by a significantly large number of two-year-olds and none by a significantly small number of four-year-olds. Primary terms as a group were also those most likely to be used incorrectly. Those terms most likely to be overextended by the younger subjects were also those without a stable referent, while for the older ones it was those terms which the subject already knew the correct use of. The actual errors did not seem to be based on any of the proposed perceptual properties of colour. It is suggested that the child at these stages does not organize his lexical or conceptual colour categories in terms of the adult distinctions of primary/non-primary/achromatic or of hue/saturation/brightness. Further in-depth examination might reveal a base of associative or contextual criteria instead of the random, ad-hoc guesses they appear to be in this study. It is further suggested that such organizational criteria are very individualistic and therefore will not fit the generalizations made by previous studies about colour-term acquisition. / Arts, Faculty of / Linguistics, Department of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This study aims at examining the use of color word “qing” and its combinations in Chinese language. “Qing” is one of the earliest appeared color words in Chinese language. It is a unique color word which can represent the colors of green, blue, black and white. Due to its complex meaning, it is difficult to understand which color does “qing” stand for in different cases. On the other hand, “qing” is a frequently used color word in both ancient and modern Chinese language. Words and phrases formed by “qing” can express symbolic meanings other than color. To begin with, the first chapter introduces the research background, objectives and key points of the study. In the second chapter, the origin, inherent and extended meaning, as well as the combinations of “qing” and other color words will be analyzed. Apart from their meanings, the grammatical characteristics are also important to a comprehensive study of “qing” and its combinations. In the third chapter, “qing” and its combinations will be discussed in the aspects of word-formation, syntactical functions and sentence structure. The fourth chapter is about the usage and effect of “qing” and its combinations with regard to rhetoric. Examples of “qing” and its combinations which create specific rhetorical effects in Chinese literature were discussed. The last chapter serves as a conclusion, highlighting the research results of this study. This dissertation attempts to discuss “qing” and its combinations in different angles to provide nutrition to the overall study of “qing”. / published_or_final_version / Chinese Language and Literature / Master / Master of Arts

“Gold” is a colour indicating the colour of an object. It is a unique colour word which represents the colour of gold. From ancient to the present, “gold” is a common Chinese word which is frequently used in the literature. Furthermore, “gold” is the symbol of goodness in the traditional Chinese society. Nowadays, “gold” represents noble, luxury, wealth, hope, etc in the cultural connotation. This dissertation consists of five chapters. The first chapter introduces the research background, purpose of the topic and key points of the study. The second chapter is divided into three parts. In the first part, it begins to look for the semantic origin of the colour word “gold” by analyzing its original meaning, aboriginal meaning and quotative meaning. In the second part, it demonstrates the development of cultural connotation in China and elaborates the cultural connotation in the present Chinese society. In the third part, the colour word “gold” is compared with the colour words “yellow” and “red” to identify their differences and similarities of cultural connotations. In the third chapter, it mainly focuses on phraseology function of “gold” and its combinations. Meanwhile, the aspects of word-formation, syntactical functions, sentence structure of “gold” and its combinations will be discussed. The fourth chapter analyzes the usage and effect of “gold” and its combinations with regard to rhetoric. It also illustrates and explains the features of usage and rhetorical effects on seven categories of figures of speech which are fairly typical. The last chapter is the conclusion of the whole dissertation. “Gold” is a very unique colour word which differentiates from other colour words such as “red”, “yellow” and so on. “Gold” has been representing a positive image from the past, even nowadays, “gold” is still one of the most glamorous colours. / published_or_final_version / Chinese Language and Literature / Master / Master of Arts