Ida is asked to name as many pieces of furniture as she can. "Chair, table, bed . . . ,:" she begins. Running out of ideas, she struggles, finally offering, ". . .um . . .tie-rack?" How might we interpret Ida's pattern of responses with respect to theories of word meaning?
A) Ida's pattern of responses contradicts the prototype theory.
B) Ida's pattern of responses supports the prototype theory.
C) Ida's pattern of responses contradicts the folk theory.
D) Ida's pattern of responses supports the definitional theory.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ida's pattern of starting with typical or prototypical furniture items (chair, table, bed) and then struggling to come up with other examples (such as tie rack) supports the prototype theory of word meaning. According to this theory, concepts or categories are organized around prototypical or typical members, and other members are judged to be more or less category-like based on their degree of resemblance to the prototype. Ida's initial responses reflect her strong knowledge of typical furniture items, while her struggle to come up with other examples may indicate that tie rack is less prototypical or less central to the category of furniture.

Ida Is Asked to Name as Many Pieces of Furniture