Phylogenetic approach to the evolution of color term systems

TLDR

Languages worldwide exhibit recurrent similarities in color naming, raising a key question for anthropology and cognitive science. The study examines the evolution of color systems in language using phylogenetic methods. They track color term evolution across a large language tree to reconstruct the history of color systems. The study validates phylogenetic approaches to culture and presents an explicit history of color terms in the Pama‑Nyungan languages, underscoring its relevance to anthropology, psychology, and linguistics.

Abstract

Significance A major question in the study of both anthropology and cognitive science is why the world’s languages show recurrent similarities in color naming. Here we examine this inherently evolutionary question–the evolution of color systems in language–using phylogenetic methods. We track the evolution of color terms across a large language tree in order to trace the history of the systems. We provide further validation of phylogenetic approaches to culture, and provide an explicit history of color terms across a large language sample, the Pama-Nyungan languages of Australia. Our work is of relevance to anthropologists, psychologists, and linguists.