О „денотативном“ и „конотативном“ карактеризовању

Abstract

The author calls attention to whetheoretical werest of looking at the nature of language devices like Serbo-Croatian pravi of English real which serve to signalize that H is a shiming example of Y. Adressing the question of how the assignment of the distinguishing properties of Y to Htakes place, she points to the fact that there is good reason for a clear distinction between two prototypical characterizations of non-identical provenience, denotational characterization being related to the denotational features of Y, an conpotational characterization to the connotational ones. She brings to light some theoretically relevant asprects of this distinction. In exploring the occurence of prototypicality determiners in languages, the ex planatory usefulness of the perspectivization principle comes to evidence. Namely, the assignment of the prototype status to H being a complex notion, speakers may choose one particular aspect of it as more salient than the others and focus on it. Thus, depending on communication context, the prototypicality determiner may funcion either asqualifier (in cases when denotational / connotational characteriza tion is being concerned) or as truth-value modifier (sf English real understood in the sense of not false). Languages differ as to the possibility of signaling overtly the angle from which the prototypicality ofH has to be viewed. The author brings evidence for this by contrasting corresponding Serbo-Croatian and English data. As a topic for further research, the author mentions the obvious need for a better understanding of the interaction of three factors under which influence our mental images of „prototypes“ have been shaped: (1) our perception and knowledge of „objective reality“, (2) our expectations, and (3) our beliefs an prejudices.