Are there nontrivial constraints on colour categorization?
In this target article the following hypotheses are discussed: (1) Colour is autonomous: a perceptuolinguistic and behavioural universal. (2) It is completely described by three independent attributes: hue, brightness, and saturation: (3) Phenomenologically and psychophysically there are four unique hues: red, green, blue, and yellow; (4) The unique hues are underpinned by two opponent psychophysical and/or neuronal channels: red/green, blue/yellow. The relevant literature is reviewed. We conclude: (i) Psychophysics and neurophysiology fail to set nontrivial constraints on colour categorization. (ii) Linguistic evidence provides no grounds for the universality of basic colour categories. (iii) Neither the opponent hues red/green, blue/yellow nor hue, brightness, and saturation are intrinsic to a universal concept of colour. (iv) Colour is not autonomous.
Saunders
B A
BA
Centre for Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Leuven, Belgium. pop00127@cc5.kuleuven.ac.be
van Brakel
J
J
D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D011601:Psychophysics; D012660:Semantics