Salience and relativity in classification

Abstract

In response to arguments that the most basic or salient level of classification for any given domain is largely a reflection of objective reality and, therefore, consistent across human populations, this paper argues that the salience of categories within a given semantic domain is primarily a function of man's attention to or indifference toward the membership of the domain concerned. As the salience of a domain decreases, the most salient category distinctions become increasingly more inclusive.