Italian Basic Terms Blu and Azzurro: Semantic Power Assessed in the Stroop Task

Paramei, Galina V. and Paggetti, Giulia and Clark, Dan PA and Menegaz, Gloria (2026) Italian Basic Terms Blu and Azzurro: Semantic Power Assessed in the Stroop Task. Color Research & Application, 51 (3). ISSN 0361-2317

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Abstract

We explored the semantic power of two Italian basic “blue” terms, blu “dark blue” and azzurro “light/medium blue,” using the Stroop task. Across three experiments with Italian speakers, color word sets and ink colors varied; in a control condition, “X” strings were presented. Experiment 1 employed words ROSSO “red,” GIALLO “yellow,” BLU, and VIOLA “purple” presented in six ink colors, including both dark blue and light blue inks. In Experiment 2, six color words, including BLU and AZZURRO, as well as ROSA “pink” were displayed in six corresponding ink colors. Response speed (absolute RTs) was found to be significantly longer for BLU—light blue ink and AZZURRO—dark blue ink combinations compared to congruent combinations. However, BLU revealed no significant Stroop effects (related to control RTs). In contrast, AZZURRO showed strong Stroop interference (195 ms) and facilitation (46 ms). In Experiment 3, to probe the lightness effect of the ink, BLU was replaced by VERDE “green” rendered in dark green and light green ink: no Stroop effects were found. Projected to the “blue”‐pairings, this implies no perceptual factor in the AZZURRO Stroop effects. In addition, across Experiments 1–3, response speed was examined in (in)congruent “red”‐pairings, for ROSSO and ROSA: similarly to the “blue”‐pairings, these differ in lightness of their denotata and, also, in the terms' basic status (primary vs. secondary). Stroop interference was demonstrated for ROSSO—pink ink combination only, when ROSA was part of the word set (Experiment 2), indicating that informational conflict is amplified due to the response set membership effect. For the two “Italian blues,” the Stroop effects revealed an asymmetry of their semantic power: although blu is a primary term and has higher frequency in modern Standard Italian, azzurro (Italian “blue” arcilessema), revealed greater interference manifesting its stronger ideation and greater processing automaticity, which conceivably reflect its deep entrenchment in Italian.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords:	basic “blue” terms, Italian, semantic power, Stroop task
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Human and Digital Sciences > School of Psychology
SWORD Depositor:	RISE Symplectic
Depositing User:	RISE Symplectic
Date Deposited:	10 Apr 2026 08:47
Last Modified:	10 Apr 2026 08:47
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/4880

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