Though the notion of prototype is better illustrated by natural species and concrete objects, this article argues that abstract concepts can also exemplify it. To prove this, the article investigates the semantic prototype of the English word responsible. In order to evaluate Tanzanian English speakers' judgment of several meaning elements forming this semantic category, the investigation uses a questionnaire based on a set of seven stories. The assumption behind the question concluding every story is that the informants' judgment of responsibility involved can be recorded on a three degree scale. By computing the average score of every story, it is possible to rank the meaning elements composing a semantic prototype for different speech communities, and make relevant comparisons.
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