PropertyDomain — Perceptual/Cognitive Channels for Adjective Dimensions

@cite{giles-etal-2026} @cite{wolfe-horowitz-2017}

A taxonomy of perceptual and cognitive channels that classify the dimension a gradable adjective measures along. The first four domains (color, size, material, orientation) have established perceptual- discriminability profiles in the visual-search literature; the rest are inventoried for typological completeness.

Dimension pairs a human-readable name with a PropertyDomain and is populated by the smart constructors below; the bridge to noise parameters (Features.PropertyDomain.noiseDiscrimination) lives in Theories/Pragmatics/RSA/Channel.lean.

inductive Features.PropertyDomain : Type

Broad perceptual/cognitive domain that a gradable dimension belongs to. The first four (color, size, material, orientation) have established noise parameters in RSA.Noise; the rest are classified but not yet parameterised.

• color : PropertyDomain
• size : PropertyDomain
• material : PropertyDomain
• orientation : PropertyDomain
• sensory : PropertyDomain
• evaluative : PropertyDomain
• psychological : PropertyDomain
• state : PropertyDomain

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Features.instReprPropertyDomain : Repr PropertyDomain

Equations

• Features.instReprPropertyDomain = { reprPrec := Features.instReprPropertyDomain.repr }

def Features.instReprPropertyDomain.repr : PropertyDomain → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Features.instDecidableEqPropertyDomain : DecidableEq PropertyDomain

Equations

• Features.instDecidableEqPropertyDomain x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Features.instInhabitedPropertyDomain : Inhabited PropertyDomain

Equations

• Features.instInhabitedPropertyDomain = { default := Features.instInhabitedPropertyDomain.default }

def Features.instInhabitedPropertyDomain.default : PropertyDomain

Equations

• Features.instInhabitedPropertyDomain.default = Features.PropertyDomain.color

structure Features.Dimension : Type

A named dimension classified by its perceptual domain.

• name : String
• domain : PropertyDomain

def Features.instReprDimension.repr : Dimension → Nat → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Features.instReprDimension : Repr Dimension

Equations

• Features.instReprDimension = { reprPrec := Features.instReprDimension.repr }

def Features.instDecidableEqDimension.decEq (x✝ x✝¹ : Dimension) : Decidable (x✝ = x✝¹)

Equations

• Features.instDecidableEqDimension.decEq { name := a, domain := a_1 } { name := b, domain := b_1 } = if h : a = b then h ▸ if h : a_1 = b_1 then h ▸ isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Features.instDecidableEqDimension : DecidableEq Dimension

Equations

• Features.instDecidableEqDimension = Features.instDecidableEqDimension.decEq

def Features.instInhabitedDimension.default : Dimension

Equations

• Features.instInhabitedDimension.default = { name := default, domain := default }

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Features.instInhabitedDimension : Inhabited Dimension

Equations

• Features.instInhabitedDimension = { default := Features.instInhabitedDimension.default }

def Features.PropertyDomain.requiresComparisonClass : PropertyDomain → Bool

Whether adjectives in this domain typically require comparison-class computation for interpretation. Size, evaluative, psychological, and sensory domains contain relative gradable adjectives (RGAs) interpreted relative to a contextually-determined standard. Color, material, orientation, and state domains contain adjectives with more stable meanings.

@cite{sedivy-etal-1999} showed that comparison-class-dependent (scalar) adjectives trigger contrastive inferences in referential contexts, while non-dependent (color) adjectives do not.

Equations

• Features.PropertyDomain.size.requiresComparisonClass = true
• Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative.requiresComparisonClass = true
• Features.PropertyDomain.psychological.requiresComparisonClass = true
• Features.PropertyDomain.sensory.requiresComparisonClass = true
• Features.PropertyDomain.color.requiresComparisonClass = false
• Features.PropertyDomain.material.requiresComparisonClass = false
• Features.PropertyDomain.orientation.requiresComparisonClass = false
• Features.PropertyDomain.state.requiresComparisonClass = false

def Features.Dimension.height : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.height = { name := "height", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.width : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.width = { name := "width", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.length : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.length = { name := "length", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.weight : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.weight = { name := "weight", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.thickness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.thickness = { name := "thickness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.depth : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.depth = { name := "depth", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.speed : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.speed = { name := "speed", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.strength : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.strength = { name := "strength", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.age : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.age = { name := "age", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.generalSize : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.generalSize = { name := "size", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.size }

def Features.Dimension.temperature : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.temperature = { name := "temperature", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.sensory }

def Features.Dimension.brightness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.brightness = { name := "brightness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.sensory }

def Features.Dimension.volume : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.volume = { name := "volume", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.sensory }

def Features.Dimension.happiness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.happiness = { name := "happiness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.cost : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.cost = { name := "cost", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.price : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.price = { name := "price", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.quality : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.quality = { name := "quality", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.value : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.value = { name := "value", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.danger : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.danger = { name := "danger", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.beauty : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.beauty = { name := "beauty", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.importance : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.importance = { name := "importance", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.safety : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.safety = { name := "safety", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.evaluative }

def Features.Dimension.intelligence : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.intelligence = { name := "intelligence", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.psychological }

def Features.Dimension.expectation : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.expectation = { name := "expectation", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.psychological }

def Features.Dimension.possibility : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.possibility = { name := "possibility", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.psychological }

def Features.Dimension.confidence : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.confidence = { name := "confidence", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.psychological }

def Features.Dimension.fullness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.fullness = { name := "fullness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.wetness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.wetness = { name := "wetness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.cleanliness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.cleanliness = { name := "cleanliness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.straightness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.straightness = { name := "straightness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.flatness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.flatness = { name := "flatness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.openness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.openness = { name := "openness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.freedom : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.freedom = { name := "freedom", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.tightness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.tightness = { name := "tightness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.alive : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.alive = { name := "alive", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.pregnancy : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.pregnancy = { name := "pregnancy", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.hardness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.hardness = { name := "hardness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.smoothness : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.smoothness = { name := "smoothness", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.purity : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.purity = { name := "purity", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.cracking : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.cracking = { name := "cracking", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.denting : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.denting = { name := "denting", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.scratching : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.scratching = { name := "scratching", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.shattering : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.shattering = { name := "shattering", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.state }

def Features.Dimension.color : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.color = { name := "color", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.color }

def Features.Dimension.material : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.material = { name := "material", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.material }

def Features.Dimension.orientation : Dimension

Equations

• Features.Dimension.orientation = { name := "orientation", domain := Features.PropertyDomain.orientation }