Re: Logical?

Mike S. scripsit:

> Sapir-Whorf question:  are there any known cases in which
> speakers tend to have _non-trivial_ difficulties seeing
> the difference in colors of a foreign language where their
> native lexicon does not distinguish them?  Or making any
> other semantic distinction for that matter?
You betcha.  Kay and Kempton established that English-speakers
who are asked "Which is more like color chip A, color chip B or
color chip C?" consistently get the answer wrong because of
Whorfian lock-in.  We give the answer B, whereas C is correct,
because C is on the wrong side of the blue/green divide.
And this persists even when we are shown the evidence: damn it all,
A and B are both *blue*, and C is *green* (or vice versa) and that's
all there is to it.

But Mazateco speakers, who don't have separate words for "blue" and "green",
consistently get the right answer.

--
John Cowan <jcowan@...>     http://www.reutershealth.com
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen,    http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
han mathon ne chae, a han noston ne 'wilith.  --Galadriel, _LOTR:FOTR_

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