Harold C. Conklin
(1926-Present, United States)
Harold C. Conklin is a Cognitive
Anthropologist who examined how people perceive the world around them. In his
field research Hanunoo color Categories,
Conklin revealed that people in different cultures recognize colors differently
because of their unique linguistic classification systems. Conklin conducted
his research among the Hanunoo in the
Conklin used linguistic methods because a vocabulary strongly influences the classification of colors. In addition to recording how the Hanunoo described colors of their natural and artificial surroundings, Conklin showed them painted cards, dyed fabrics, and many other colored materials. As a result, he found that the Hanunoo group colors at the following two levels. The first level is general, where there are four terms of colors: darkness, lightness, redness, and greenness. These colors are distinct from each other and people always used the same color name to describe a certain color sample. The second level is specific, with hundreds of color names. Since many color names overlap, people did not necessarily agree with each other when they classified colors in this level. In addition to actual colors, Conklin found that the Hanunoo pay attention to moisture, texture and shine of objects and give different color names according to these criteria.
Conklin concluded that the Hanunoo color classification system is based on lightness, darkness, wetness, and dryness. These color criteria are different from the American color classification system, where moisture, texture and shine of objects are not considered. Prior to Conklin’s findings, researchers assumed that the Hanunoo confused colors because the people seemed to call the same color by different terms. However, Conklin showed that seeming contradictions stemmed from the researchers’ lack of understanding of the Hanunoo’s color criteria. The researchers could not understand Hanunoo’s color categories because the researchers imposed their own color criteria from their culture. Conklin’s analysis helped anthropologists see how people in different cultures conceptualize their world in their own ways.
Source:
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McGee, R. Jon and Richard L. Warms. 2004 Anthropological Theory: An Introductory History. New York: McGraw Hill.