This review article examines prototype-based categorization of words and senses as an interdisciplinary framework at the intersection of cognitive psychology, lexical semantics, psycholinguistics, lexicography, and computational linguistics. The paper outlines the transition from the classical view of categories based on necessary and sufficient features to prototype theory, which emphasizes graded membership, typicality effects, and family resemblance. It then analyzes how these ideas were adapted in linguistic research to describe lexical categories, polysemy, and the internal organization of word meaning through central and peripheral senses, radial semantic networks, and context-sensitive meaning activation. Special attention is given to theoretical and methodological debates, including the distinction between polysemy and homonymy, the psychological reality of discrete word senses, and the limitations of purely introspective semantic analysis. The review also discusses corpus-based and lexicographic critiques, as well as modern computational reinterpretations of prototype structure in WordNet-based modeling, word sense disambiguation, and multi-prototype vector representations. The article argues that prototype-based categorization remains highly productive when used not as a universal replacement for all semantic models, but as an explanatory framework for probabilistic structure, semantic centrality, and context-driven variation in lexical meaning.
| Mualliflar | Редактор, Главный |
|---|---|
| Jurnal | Lingvospektr |
| Nashr sanasi | 2026-03-06 |
| Jild | 2 |
| Son | 1 |
| Betlar | 269-277 |
| Til | Ingliz |
The article highlights the peculiarities of assessment in teaching English to primary school students whose native language is Uzbek. A comparative analysis of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages…
This article examines the representation of national mentality in Shukur Kholmirzaev’s short story “O‘zbek xarakteri” from a linguocultural perspective. The study aims to identify the linguistic and discursive…
This paper investigates the efficacy of Peer-Assisted Reading (PAR) strategies for low-proficiency English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners within a technical university context. Specifically targeting students from…
This article explores the major problems and distinctive features of lexical change in Global English in the context of globalization, intercultural communication, and ongoing linguistic variation. As English…
This article deals with the issues based on analyzing the comprehensive theoretical and methodological framework for developing independent learning skills in future English language teachers within modern higher…
Discourse analysis has become a central methodological and theoretical framework across linguistics, literary studies, sociology, media studies, and critical theory. Since its emergence in the twentieth century…
This study explores the effectiveness of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction among second-year Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering students at Ajou University in Tashkent. Using an IMRAD…
This paper explores the fundamental issues of axiological linguistics, an interdisciplinary field concerned with how values are expressed and encoded in language. It examines the philosophical foundations of axiology…
This article analyzes the significance of simultaneous translation of cartoons in developing linguistic competence in preschool children. In today’s era of rapid globalization, real-time translation is presented as a…
Speech etiquette represents a fundamental aspect of communicative behavior, as it governs interpersonal interaction through socially and culturally recognized norms of politeness. At the same time, language frequently…