prodigy

prodigy
/prod"i jee/, n., pl. prodigies.
1. a person, esp. a child or young person, having extraordinary talent or ability: a musical prodigy.
2. a marvelous example (usually fol. by of).
3. something wonderful or marvelous; a wonder.
4. something abnormal or monstrous.
5. Archaic. something extraordinary regarded as of prophetic significance.
[1425-75; late ME prodige < L prodigium prophetic sign]

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      a child who, by about age 10, performs at the level of a highly trained adult in a particular sphere of activity or knowledge. In this sense, neither high intelligence nor eccentric skills by themselves qualify a child as a prodigy. Rather, it is the capacity to perform in a recognized area of endeavour in such a way as to receive broad acclaim that defines the prodigy. Therefore, individuals who are chess prodigies or “lightning calculators” (those who have a remarkable memory for figures) but who are otherwise mentally or developmentally disabled (such as “idiot savants”) are not prodigies.

      The American psychologists David Henry Feldman and Martha Morelock summarized late 20th-century research on prodigies to identify those inherent traits and environmental influences that contribute to the development of a prodigy. In general, they observed that most prodigies do not appear spontaneously; instead, they emerge when several important phenomena occur together (there are exceptions, of course, as in the case of the self-taught mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (Pascal, Blaise)). First, a child must have extraordinary natural ability in a particular domain (such as music or mathematics). Second, master teachers must be available to the child at precisely the right moment in the child's development. Third, the child must be involved in a domain that is highly structured and self-contained, and it must be taught to him in a systematic and accessible manner. Fourth, the tools, instruments, or equipment needed to pursue the domain must be adapted to the child's physical and emotional capacities. Fifth, the child must have a supportive family member or guardian who can seek the master teachers, provide transportation or other means of ensuring regular lessons, and nurture the child's extraordinary talents.

      Prodigies usually display only one of the multiple intelligences proposed by the American psychologist Howard Gardner—linguistic, mathematical-logical, spatial-visual, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, or naturalistic. This occurs because the achievement of extraordinary expertise in these broader areas requires more life experience than is usually available to a child. Interpersonal intelligence, such as that of successful leaders, is usually cultivated through years of life experience. Prodigies are therefore more likely to possess what is known as idiosyncratic talent—that is, they have a specific area of expertise within a particular domain, such as playing the violin, exploring mathematical theories, or painting.

 Best known are the musical prodigies, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus), Franz Schubert (Schubert, Franz), and Felix Mendelssohn (Mendelssohn, Felix), all of whom began to compose before the age of 12; Johann Nepomuk Hummel (Hummel, Johann Nepomuk), Frédéric Chopin (Chopin, Frédéric), and Yehudi Menuhin (Menuhin, Yehudi, Lord Menuhin of Stoke d'Abernon), who had given public concerts by age 11; and Johannes Brahms (Brahms, Johannes), Antonín Dvořák (Dvořák, Antonín), Richard Strauss (Strauss, Richard), and the performer and composer Stevie Wonder (Wonder, Stevie), all of whom distinguished themselves through music early in their lives. Prodigies in other disciplines have included the authors Emily (Brontë, Emily) and Charlotte Brontë (Brontë, Charlotte) and the mathematician Norbert Wiener (Wiener, Norbert).

      In some cases prodigies are both born and made; they can be born with retentive memories and a quality of mind that enables them to relate and organize experiences, and they can be made in the sense that they receive opportunities and rewards of special practice, instruction, or training. Some, however, achieve a superior level of performance without help or even in spite of adversity—Blaise Pascal (Pascal, Blaise), for example, constructed a geometry of his own, although his father deprived him of mathematical books at the age of 11.

      Few mental prodigies have gone on to be as productive in adulthood as Pascal, Mozart, and the Brontë sisters. Too often, the good fortune and the overwhelming support that existed for the child are lacking for the adult. Many former prodigies lose their support systems and face a fickle public that quickly loses interest in an expert who is no longer an entertaining novelty.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Prodigy — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Prodigy puede referirse a: The Prodigy, una banda de música electrónica, conocida por grandes éxitos como Firestarter y Smack My Bitch Up . Prodigy (rapero), un rapero estadounidense, principal vocalista del dúo hip… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Prodigy — (engl. für Wunder oder Wunderkind ) ist der Name eines Moog Synthesizers einer englischen Band, siehe The Prodigy eines US amerikanischen Rappers, siehe Prodigy (Rapper) Diese Seite ist eine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Prodigy — puede referirse a: ● The Prodigy, una banda de música big beat electrónica, conocida por grandes éxitos como Firestarter y Smack My Bitch Up . ● Prodigy (rapero), un rapero americano, principal vocalista del dúo hip hop Mobb Deep …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Prodigy — Prod i*gy, n.; pl. {Prodigies}. [ L. prodigium; pro before + (perh.) a word appearing in adagium adage: cf. F. prodige. Cf. {Adage}. ] [1913 Webster] 1. Something extraordinary, or out of the usual course of nature, from which omens are drawn; a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • prodigy — late 15c., sign, portent, something extraordinary from which omens are drawn, from L. prodigium sign, omen, portent, prodigy, from pro forth (see PRO (Cf. pro )) + igium, a suffix or word of unknown origin, perhaps from *agi , root of aio I say… …   Etymology dictionary

  • prodigy — index mastermind Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • prodigy — *wonder, marvel, miracle, phenomenon Analogous words: abnormality (see corresponding adjective at ABNORMAL): monstrosity (see corresponding adjective at MONSTROUS): anomaly, *paradox …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • prodigy — [n] person or thing that is extraordinary brain*, child genius, curiosity, enormity, freak*, genius, intellect, marvel, mastermind, miracle, monster, natural, one in a million*, phenomenon, portent, rare bird*, rarity, sensation, spectacle,… …   New thesaurus

  • prodigy — ► NOUN (pl. prodigies) 1) a person, especially a young one, with exceptional abilities. 2) an outstanding example of a quality. 3) an amazing or unusual thing: omens and prodigies. ORIGIN Latin prodigium portent …   English terms dictionary

  • prodigy — [präd′ə jē] n. pl. prodigies [L prodigium < pro , before + OL * agiom, a thing said < aio, I say: see ADAGE] 1. Rare an extraordinary happening, thought to presage good or evil fortune 2. a person, thing, or act so extraordinary as to… …   English World dictionary

  • Prodigy — NOTOC Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, an individual who is a master of one or more skills or arts at an early age In music * The Prodigy, a British electronic music group ** Moog Prodigy, the synthesiser from which the group got its name * …   Wikipedia

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