Frame description
The adjectives and nouns in this frame are all based on the idea that a person (the Protagonist) can be assumed to have certain mental properties on the basis of their Behavior. Although these words attribute mental properties to people, they may be applied to the Protagonist's Behaviors as well, with the understanding that the Behavior is revealing a (usually temporary) property of the Protagonist responsible for it. For example, we could speak of a stupid mistake, or describe a smile as clever.
Examples:
| 1. Sind wir klüger als Tiere? | 1. Are we cleverer than animals? |
| 2. Ich glaube, dass sie mich für einen Deppen hält. | 2. I believe that she takes me for a fool. |
| 3. Man muss kein Mathe-Genie sein. | 3. Man muss kein Mathe-Genie sein. |
The Protagonist and the Behavior can also appear together, as in (4).
| 4. Es war dumm von dir, so einen Fehler zu machen. | 4. It was stupid of you to make such a mistake. |
Some of the words in this frame also have slightly different uses, in which the Protagonist is described as having a certain mental property with respect to a particular kind of performance, the Practice, as in example (2).
| 5. Sie ist ein musikalisches Genie. | 5. She is a musical genius. |
The Behavior and Practice frame elements do not co-occur. While the Behavior FE relates to specific events, the Practice FE is related to the Protagonist's general capabilities. Although it often goes unrealized, it is understood that within this frame, there is always a Judge (usually the speaker) in the background who attributes the mental property to the Protagonist.