are you a monolingual English speaker? paid study available

lxinying · Post by **lxinying** » Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:31 pm

I'm Xin Ying, a linguistics student in Nanyang Technological University (NTU). I'm currently running a study on colours and I am looking for American, British, Canadian and Australian English speakers who speak only English. Participants must be right-handed and have no colour-blindness.

The study will take about 1 hour and participants will be paid 10 SGD. You will be asked to identify colours in a quiet room. The location is at the linguistics lab in NTU.

Timings are negotiable, if you are interested, please email cog.neuro.ling.ntu@gmail.com.

Feel free to post any queries you might have about the study here!

Thank you and looking forward to hearing from you!

JayCee · Post by **JayCee** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 4:16 pm

What does only being able to speak English have to do with picking colours?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 4:31 pm

I wondered about that last night when it was posted, but figured, what the 'ell, science is always changing so I figured it was because most English speaking countries have red white & blue flags (with the exception of Canada). I don't count Singapore as they only speak singlish, but you could throw them in with Canada as both are only missing the blues

Post by **nakatago** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:21 pm

JayCee wrote:What does only being able to speak English have to do with picking colours?

The ability to describe something as fuchsia and also be able to spell the color name!

OP, I'll save you some time. Randall Munroe of xkcd did a color name survey already...on his spare time: http://blog.xkcd.com/2010/05/03/color-survey-results/

@SMS: Russia and the Czech republic have red, white and blue flags but that's not what you were saying, right?

lxinying · Post by **lxinying** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:23 pm

Colour terms differ across languages, and they have been found to have an effect on perception=)

I am testing the hypothesis on whether the language(s) we speak has(have) an effect on how we see the world. Although sundaymorningstaple, your comments on the colours of flag makes surprising sense.

JayCee · Post by **JayCee** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:36 pm

nakatago wrote:The ability to describe something as fuchsia and also be able to spell the color name!

You need to learn how to spell colour properly first

Bloody yanks

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:43 pm

lxinying wrote: Although sundaymorningstaple, your comments on the colours of flag makes surprising sense.

Ehhhhhh. April Fools!!!!!!

p.s. to the OP how can 'western' people be monolingual, when all will have had to learn a second language in school?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:45 pm

Excuuuuuuuusssssseeeeeee ME! I try to cater to those of you who have problem with phonetic English. Occasionally I'll goof up though. But seriously, don't ever go stay in a hotel in NYC and call room service and ask 'em to send up a pack of fags!

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:48 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Excuuuuuuuusssssseeeeeee ME! I try to cater to those of you who have problem with phonetic English. Occasionally I'll goof up though. But seriously, don't ever go stay in a hotel in NYC and call room service and ask 'em to send up a pack of fags!

Hehehe.... worse would be to go and ask a smoker if you can 'Bum a fag' off him

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:50 pm

nakatago wrote: @SMS: Russia and the Czech republic have red, white and blue flags but that's not what you were saying, right?

Nope. I didn't say all countries having red, white & blue flags spoke English. I said the English speaking countries all have red, white & blue flags.

Subtle but major difference and this is how so many statements on an English speaking expat board get stuffed up due to translation and or sentence structural problems that completely change the meaning of a sentence. Actually, you have brought up an excellent point!

+1

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:53 pm

I remember once a US Navy chap on RnR in a Tokyo bar almost laying into me for calling him 'geezer'. In British english the term is one of affection akin to 'mate'. In American english it seems to still have it's original meaning, i.e. a rather tatty old man.

Plus ca change etc.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:56 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:
nakatago wrote: @SMS: Russia and the Czech republic have red, white and blue flags but that's not what you were saying, right?
Nope. I didn't say all countries having red, white & blue flags spoke English. I said the English speaking countries all have red, white & blue flags.

Subtle but major difference and this is how so many statements on an English speaking expat board get stuffed up due to translation and or sentence structural problems that completely change the meaning of a sentence. Actually, you have brought up an excellent point!

+1

The Bahamas flag isn't red white and blue

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 5:59 pm

Neither is Dominica's. Plus they have a parrot on theirs.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 7:42 pm

Yeah, but they both harder to understand than the welsh & scots! Unless you be into reggae heavily, mon.

ksl · Post by **ksl** » Fri, 01 Apr 2011 8:00 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:
nakatago wrote: @SMS: Russia and the Czech republic have red, white and blue flags but that's not what you were saying, right?
Nope. I didn't say all countries having red, white & blue flags spoke English. I said the English speaking countries all have red, white & blue flags.

Subtle but major difference and this is how so many statements on an English speaking expat board get stuffed up due to translation and or sentence structural problems that completely change the meaning of a sentence. Actually, you have brought up an excellent point!

+1

There is also a good explanation why its red white and blue and it is nothing to do with language, Taiwan is also Red white and Blue and and makes reference to being united or joined for the same cause and values. Though when the USA chose the colours, they was not aware of it at the time.
I came across the meaning while doing my own Family court of arms from 2000 when UK me, married into Taiwan.

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are you a monolingual English speaker? paid study available

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