PROTOTYPICAL BEHAVIOR MODEL: LINGUISTIC AND SEMOITIC ASPECTS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the cognitive analysis of the semiotic aspect of human behavior and its manifestation in the Russian and English languages.  Consideration of human behavior as a semiotic phenomenon makes it necessary to analyze a number of specific parameters such as external behavior symptoms, interpreted by the Observer-perceptor; the Observer-agent, who addresses his/her behavior to some addressee in his/her perceptual field. Behavior targeting is differentiated according to a number of aspects. Thus, in particular, behavioral acts can be aimed at different categories of the addressee. In quantitative terms, the addressee (Observer-perceptor) can be either single (as a rule, specific) or indefinite-plural. Varieties of addressees on the basis of specificity/generality are presented mostly by a specific Observer(s). In some cases, though, Observer-perceptor is mentally constructed by the subject of behavior (Observer-agent) who establishes an imaginary connection with someone who is not present in the communicative situation and not available to visual perception. Of special interest are the communicative situations including several potential Observers-perceptors which means that the same actions on the part of the behavior subject can be selectively addressed.