Published Paper


Variations in Color Perception across Languages: A Case Study of the Galo Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Limi Nyodu & Vijayakumar Kathirvel2
Department of Management and Humanities, National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Page: 599-616
Published on: 2025 March

Abstract

The human eye can see millions of distinct colors, yet human language only categorizes a small portion of all the possible colors that exist in nature. This discrepancy highlights the limitations of language in conveying the full spectrum of human experience and perception, leading to rich debates in fields such as linguistics, art, and psychology. Humans see color categorically, but what influence does the environment play specifically? The environment plays a crucial role in shaping our perception of color by influencing the way we categorize and interpret hues. Factors such as cultural background, lighting conditions, and even individual experiences can alter how we perceive and describe colors, demonstrating that our understanding of color is not just a biological phenomenon but also a social and contextual one. Categories and perceiving colors were thought to be minimal, but recent data reveals that languages with various color name collections interpret color differently. Humans clearly see color, but what role does the environment play in this? Color perception has previously been assumed to have minimal influence, but new research shows that languages with various color name collections reflect variations in how people see color. Human languages differ greatly between cultures, and scholars are attempting to understand why. Why do industrialized languages, such as English and Hindi, have more vocabulary for describing color than other cultures? The Galo tribe of Arunachal Pradesh is one of these civilizations, whose language uses colors like White - yapuu, Black - yakww , Yellow - yaji/nogee , Green - jee, Red - yalww, Blue - yajee, Brown - yamar , Maroon - yamuk , Striped - yagoo -yaree, Multicolored - `yaree. The purpose of the paper is to expand on a list of fundamental color phrases in the Galo language by experiments with Galo native speakers from various districts of Arunachal Pradesh. We hope to explicate the core color words in the Galo language, analyze variances in color perception, and compare these findings to known linguistic theories through studies done among Galo native speakers. The research involves 40 people who speak Galo, Hindi, and English fluently. Our findings show that there are discrepancies in how Galo scholars and present young Galo people describe and designate basic color concepts.

 

PDF