Understanding Semantics, Second Edition

Students: Chapter Resources

Chapter 11

Checklist of Key Notions

11.1  Categories and concepts

• categorization
• category
• member
• subcategory
• concept
• mental representation

11.2  Prototype theory

• NSC model
• prototype theory
• prototype
• graded structure
• fuzzy boundaries
• prototypes as reference points of categorization
• graded membership
• family resemblance
• cue validity

11.3  The hierarchical organization of categories

• basic level
• taxonomies

11.5 Semantics and prototype theory

• prototype semantics
• denotation
• polarization
• vagueness
• hedge
• lexical differentiation
• quantification
• modalization

11.6  Semantic knowledge

• semantic concepts/semantic categories
• cultural knowledge
• cultural concepts/cultural categories
• cultural knowledge approach
• regular compounds
• personal knowledge

Artwork

• Figure 11.1 The focus of cognitive semantics
• Figure 11.2 Cups, bowls, vases
• Figure 11.3 Distribution of cup features and family resemblance
• Figure 11.4 Central claims of prototype theory and how they are connected
• Figure 11.5 [Picture of a lion]
• Figure 11.6 Categories of musical instruments – basic level
• Figure 11.7 Graded membership vs. graded structure
• Figure 11.8 Cognitive version of the semiotic triangle
• Figure 11.9 The big categorization
• Figure 11.10 Prototypes vs. vagueness
• Figure 11.11 All-or-nothing contrast
• Figure 11.12 Quantification with many
• Figure 11.13 Revision of the central claims of Prototype Theory
• Figure 11.14 The semiotic triangle integrating cultural knowledge
• Table 11.1 Examples for the basic level
• Table 11.2 Features of the category apple juice according to Ungerer and Schmid (2006:93)

© Sebastian Löbner 2013