Cross-modal association between vowels and colours: A cross-linguistic perspective

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Linguistics
• Psychology

Background:

• Previous research indicated shared sound-color associations in synesthetes and non-synesthetes, suggesting common underlying mechanisms.
• Prior studies examined vowel-color and pitch-lightness associations independently, leaving the influence of language background unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cross-modal associations between sounds (vowels and pitch) and colors.
• To examine how language background (specifically tone vs. non-tone languages) affects these sound-color associations in non-synesthetes.

Main Methods:

• Three groups of non-synesthetes participated: native Cantonese speakers, Mandarin speakers (foreign, tonal language), and English speakers (foreign, non-tonal language).
• Participants' color associations for specific vowels and pitches were recorded and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Strong associations were observed between the vowel /a/ and red, /i/ and light colors, and /u/ and dark colors.
• A significant pitch effect was found, with higher tones generally eliciting lighter colors than lower tones.
• The pitch effect was more pronounced than vowel-color associations.
• Significant differences in color choices for other vowels and association strength were noted among the Cantonese, Mandarin, and English groups, highlighting language-specific effects.

Conclusions:

• Linguistic factors, particularly the tonal nature of a language, significantly influence cross-modal sound-color associations.
• These findings support the idea that synesthesia-like phenomena are widespread and can be modulated by language experience.