Basic level names, like "dog", tend to have certain properties. Here they are.
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A word at the basic level tends to be:
* the word children learn first.
* the most common answer when people are asked to point at things and name them.
* typically the shortest of the alternatives.
* the fastest answer. ("What's that?" "Dog" gets a faster response than "What breed is that?")
* recognized as a whole rather than by looking at parts (a Gestalt𓇯). Basic Level Gestalt
* one that ignores "parts" (or properties) that are not important to us as we live the lives we do. Basic Level Familiarity.
* defined as much by our *use* as by its structure. Basic Level Experience