The impact of familiarity on naming variation: a study on object naming in Mandarin Chinese

Abstract

Different names are used when people refer to the same entity (e.g., “bread” vs “bagel”). We built on the ManyNames v2 dataset, a rich resource of real-world images annotated with multiple English names, to create a Mandarin Chinese version: ManyNames ZH. This new extension provides an excellent platform for analyzing variations in object naming behavior within Mandarin-speaking communities. We investigated the relationship between people’s naming variation and levels of familiarity, and whether this relationship varies in different ontological domains. Our findings indicate that Familiarity influences naming variation by two competing forces. Increasing familiarity expands vocabulary and leads to higher variation, while greater familiarity promotes convergence on conventional names, reducing variation. The dominant force is convergence, observed across most domains. However, some evidence of vocabulary expansion is seen in the comparison between PEOPLE and ANIMALS_PLANTS domains and in the low familiarity range within the CLOTHING domain.