January 13, 2003

Radial Categories

A "prototype" is the most central, or typical instance of a category.

"Radial categories" are extensions of the prototype. They are less "typical", and may differ from the prototype in one or more features. They may represent metaphorical extensions of the prototype (as in "harm"), or alternatively, categories that are missing one or more features associated with the prototype (as in "mother").

Concepts can get to be the "prototype" of their category in various ways. Lakoff distinguishes the following kinds:

• Central subcategory (others relate to this)
• Essential (meets a folk definition: birds have feathers, beaks, lay eggs)
• Typical case (most are like this: "sparrow")
• Ideal/anti-ideal case (positive social standard: "parent"); anti-ideal case (negative social standard: "terrorist")
• Stereotype (set of attributes assumed in a culture: "Arab")
• Salient exemplar (individual chosen as example)