Concept system on ‘quantity’: formation and terminology

Abstract

The third edition of the International Vocabulary of Metrology occasions continued useful discussion. A Commentator, in four recent papers, presents viewpoints on the generic division of ‘property’, ‘quantity’, and ‘ordinal quantity’, as well as a perceived problem of inheritance. Alternative terms for ‘kind-of-quantity’, ‘kind-of-quantity with chosen sort of component’, and ‘dedicated kind-of-quantity’ are suggested to be formed by prefacing “quantity” with the respective adjectival modifiers “generic”, “subgeneric”, and “specific”. Furthermore, a neoterm for ‘quantity expressed by a measurement unit’ and a redefinition of ‘property’ are offered. The Commentator’s proposals and arguments are discussed with emphasis on ways of constructing concept systems to ensure proper inheritance. Some formal and semantic problems of the proposed alternative terms and definitions are advanced. Terminological concepts are defined in an Appendix.

Appendix

Terminological vocabulary in alphabetical order

The entries are mostly excerpts from ISO 1087-1:2000 [11] as indicated by a final bracketed entry number. An italicized entry term with no definition points to a concept defined in the main text. Entries given in normal font are not-accepted terms.

associative relation

characteristic

abstraction of a property of an object or a set of objects (3.2.4)

NOTE—Characteristics describe concepts, whereas properties describe objects.

concept

unit of knowledge created by a unique combination of characteristics (3.2.1)

concept diagram

graphic representation of a concept system (3.2.12)

concept system; system of concepts

set of concepts structured according to the relations among them (3.2.11)

coordinate concept

subordinate concept having the same nearest superordinate concept and the same division criterion as some other concept in a given concept system (3.2.19 modified)

criterion of subdivision

see division criterion

dedicated kind-of-property

definition

representation of a concept by a descriptive statement which serves to differentiate it from related concepts (3.3.1)

NOTE—A definition also provides the means to identify the objects belonging to the extension of a concept.

delimiting characteristic

essential characteristic used for distinguishing a concept from related concepts (3.2.7)

designation; designator

representation of a concept by a sign which denotes it (3.4.1)

NOTE—The sign can be a symbol, appellation (for one individual concept), or term (for a general concept).

division criterion

essential characteristic

characteristic which is indispensable to understanding a concept (3.2.6)

extension

totality of objects to which a concept corresponds (3.2.8)

generic concept

generic relation; genus–species relation

relationship between two concepts where the intension of one of the concepts includes that of the other concept and at least one additional delimiting characteristic (3.2.21)

individual concept

concept which corresponds to only one object (3.2.2)

intension

set of characteristics which make up a concept (3.2.9 slightly modified)

intensional definition

definition which describes the intension of a concept by stating the superordinate concept and the delimiting characteristics (3.3.2)

neoterm; neologism

new term coined for a given concept (3.4.7)

NOTE—A neoterm can rename a concept or name a new concept.

nomenclature

terminology structured systematically according to pre-established naming rules (3.5.3)

object

anything perceivable or conceivable (3.1.1)

NOTE—An object can be material, immaterial, or imagined and is abstracted or conceptualized into a concept.

primitive concept; primitive

concept used without definition in a vocabulary

special language; language for special purposes; LSP

language used in a subject field and characterized by the use of specific linguistic means of expression (3.1.3)

specific concept

subject field; domain

field of special knowledge (3.1.2)

subordinate concept; narrower concept

concept which is either a specific concept or a partitive concept (3.2.14)

NOTE—A subordinate concept has a narrower extension and a broader intension than its superordinate concept.

superordinate concept; broader concept

concept which is either a generic concept or a comprehensive concept (3.2.13)

NOTE—A superordinate concept has a broader extension than any of its subordinate concepts.

synonymy

relation between or among terms in a given language representing the same concept (3.4.19)

taxonomy

branch of science concerned with classification, especially of organisms [8]

term

verbal designation of a general concept in a specific subject field (3.4.3)

terminologization

process by which a general language word or expression is transformed into a term (3.4.8)

terminology 1

set of designations belonging to one language (3.5.1)

type of characteristics

see division criterion

vocabulary

terminological dictionary which contains designations and definitions from one or more subject fields (3.7.2)