Colour terms in Setswana: The effects of age and urbanization

Abstract

We report a study of the colour terms of Setswana, involving 390 subjects, which compares children with adults, and people from rural areas with people from more urban areas. The study was carried out as a further test of Berlin & Kay's (1969) theory of colour universals and as an investigation of the variations and developments in Setswana across age groups and area of residence. Our results show a move away from traditional Setswana colour terms towards the use of borrowed English terms across the entire colour term inventory, particularly in the young and those who have been to school. Further, a decline in the use of Setswana ‘cattle’ terms by the young reflects a change in tradition. The basic colour term inventories were by and large consistent with Berlin & Kay, irrespective of whether these were borrowed English terms or traditional Setswana terms. Finally, an unusually large number of the sample showed partial colour vision defects.