| This page is part of the ongoing |
| Project Categorization |
| Aristotelian category |
| Categorization |
| Category |
| Category boundaries |
| Fuzziness |
| Vagueness |
| Levels of categorization |
| Basic level |
| Category-wide attribute |
| Collective function |
| Subordinate level |
| Superordinate level |
| Parasitic categorization |
| Prototype category |
| Bad member |
| Degree of membership |
| Extension |
| Flexible adaptability |
| Goodness of exemplar |
| Good member |
| Informational density |
| Inheritance |
| Radial structure |
| Structural stability |
| Taxonomy |
| Class inclusion |
| Degree of generality |
| Expert taxonomy |
| Folk taxonomy |
| Multiple parenting |
| Scientific taxonomy |
Subordinate level categories are found at the bottom of folk taxonomies and diplay a low degree of class inclusion and a low degree of generality.
As members of basic level categories, subordinate level categories are highly specific. They provide identifiable and detailed gestalts with highly detailed configurations of individuating properties.
Often, the linguistic labels for subordinate categories are polymorphemic composite forms, such as compound nouns.
Subordinate categories have the following characteristics
i) They are less good than basic level categories because although they have a high mutual resemblance, they have a low distinctiveness from members of neighboring concepts
ii) They are less informative relative to their immediate hyperonymic category
iii) As stated above they are frequently polymorphic
Bibliography[]
- Ungerer, Friedrich & Hans-Jörg Schmid (1996). An Introduction to Cognitive Linguistics. London: Longman.