Definition of paradigms:
(n) :
A pattern, a way of doing something; especially a pattern of thought, a system of beliefs, a conceptual framework.
(n) :
An example serving as the model for such a pattern; an exceptionally good or prototypical example of a pattern or group.
(n) :
(linguistics) A set of all forms which contain a common element, especially the set of all inflectional forms of a word or a particular grammatical category.