Prototype and stereotype as human perception mechanisms of surrounding world

Aim. To analyze the problem of the relationship between the concepts of stereotype and prototype used in the study of the process of categorization the objects in the world around by a person. Methodology. In the course of work, the component and comparative methods of linguistic analysis were used, as well as the key method of scientific cognition – interpretative, involving observation, comparison and generalization, serving to identify social-cultural, everyday, political and other national characteristics, under the influence of which certain stereotypes and prototypes are formed. In the course of the study, the authors also used the method of axiological analysis (the method of ethnosemiometry) to derive significant meanings of the text and determine in its entirety some idea of filling its content with the value attitude of the author. The research procedure was as follows: the theoretical basis of the studied issues was analyzed and some examples of prototypes from the daily lives of people of different nations and stereotypes from the texts of the German media were selected for component and comparative analysis. Results. The study determined that stereotype and prototype refer to different types of human experience, although they have much in common and serve the principles of its categorization. Examples of foreign language prototypes and stereotypes are analyzed, indicating their significant difference in a person’s perception of images of the world around. Research implications. The study makes a certain contribution to the scientific problems of categorization and conceptualization of human experience. Recording information in linguistic forms, in our case – in stereotypes and prototypes, is one of the main issues of cognitive linguistics, therefore this study is significant for the science. The article may be useful for researchers, linguist students, a wide range of readers.