Acquisition of the Meaning of the Word Orange Requires Understanding of the Meanings of Red , Pink , and Purple : Constructing a Lexicon as a Connected System

This research investigated how children build up the language‐specific system of the color lexicon, examining factors that play important roles for the construction of an adult‐like color lexicon. We had 3‐, 4‐, and 5‐year‐old Japanese‐speaking children and adults ( n = 20, 18, 19, and 19, respectively) produce names for 93 color swatches. The results showed that children of all ages were able to apply most of the chromatic words to the colors...