Other characteristics of domains
Langacker’s proposal that encyclopaedic knowledge consists of an inventory of basic and more abstract domains is only one step in developing a theory of the architecture of human conceptual organisation. In addition, Langacker sets out a number of characteristics that identify domains.
Dimensionality
The first characteristic is dimensionality: some domains are organised relative to one or more dimension. For example, the basic domains TIME, TEMPERATURE and PITCH are organised along a single dimension and are thus one-dimensional: TEMPERATURE is structured in terms of a series of points that are conceptualised as an ordinal sequence. In contrast, SPACE is organised with respect to two or three dimensions (a drawing of a triangle on a page is two dimensional, while a flesh-and-blood human is three-dimensional), and COLOUR is organised with respect to three dimensions (BRIGHTNESS, HUE and SATURATION). These dimensions of colour relate to distinct neuro-perceptual mechanisms, which allow us to detect differences along these three dimensions, affecting our perception of colour. Abstract domains can also be organised with respect to a particular dimension or set of dimensions. For example, CARDINAL NUMBERS (1, 2, 3, 4 . . .) represent a domain ordered along a single dimension. However, some domains cannot be characterised in terms of dimensionality; it is not clear how we might describe the domain of EMOTION in this way, for example.
Locational versus configurational domains
A further characteristic of domains is that they can be distinguished on the basis of whether they are configurational or locational. This distinction relates to whether a particular domain is calibrated with respect to a given dimension. For example, COLOUR is a locational domain because each point along each of its dimensions (for example, HUE) is calibrated with respect to the point adjacent to it. In other words, each colour sensation occupies a distinct ‘point’ on the HUE dimension, so that a different point along the dimension rep resents a different colour experience. This contrasts with the domain of SPACE, which is not calibrated in this way: SPACE is not locational but configurational. For example, regardless of its position with respect to the dimension of SPACE, the shape TRIANGLE remains a triangle rather than, say, a SQUARE.
