The Roles of Perceptual and Semantic Representation in Language Cognition: The Case of 'Melanin' Characters in Dongba Script
This study investigates the roles of perceptual representation (PRS) and semantic representation in processing Naxi Dongba pictographs, focusing specifically on "melanin" (black-color-morpheme) characters. Dongba priests from Yushuizhai, Lijiang served as participants in two tasks: judging the emotional/affective connotation of word meanings and naming characters. Results showed that (1) affective judgments of melanin characters were slower and more error-prone than for non-melanin characters, and (2) naming melanin characters produced no significant reaction-time difference from non-melanin characters, though error rates were higher. These findings indicate that perceptual and semantic representations are simultaneously activated during recognition of melanin characters, with the strength of perceptual activation depending on stimulus properties and task demands. The authors conclude that perceptual representation plays only a limited role in language cognition, while semantic representation remains dominant, extending PRS theory to logographic/pictographic writing systems.
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