21
A term usually stands for the entity it designates, but sometimes we use
terms to refer to concepts or even to terms themselves. For example, on the
subject of measurement one could write that it is a process aimed at producing
quantitative information: here the reference is to the entity measurement, a
process performed by means of suitable instruments, etc. One could also write
that measurement is intended differently in physical and social sciences: here
the reference is to the concept measurement, a critical unit of knowledge in
metrology. Finally, it might be even the case that one wants to emphasize that
measurement is an English noun, the plural form of which is measurements:
here the reference is to the term measurement, a lexical entity.
The sense of a term is the concept it designates and the referent of a term
is the entity it refers to. An analogous distinction is put between the intension
and the extension of a concept: “The set of characteristics that come together
to form the concept is called the intension of the concept. The set of objects
conceptualized as a concept is known as the extension of the concept” (ISO,
2009: 5.4.3).
In order to maintain a clear distinction between terms referring to entities
of the world, to concepts, and to terms, we will henceforth adapt the notational convention of ISO standards (e.g., ISO, 2009). A term, and more generally a linguistic expression, referring to:
• Itself, i.e., a term, is delimited by double quotes “ ”.
• A concept, i.e., the meaning of the term, is delimited by angle brackets < >.
• An entity of the world, i.e., the referent of the term, is not delimited.
Here the lack of delimiters around terms for entities of the world is in accordance to the economic principle that terms for entities of the world should not
be delimited because in everyday writing we usually refer to entities of the
world, not to concepts or terms.
Hence the sentence
is expressed in English by “measurement” and is about
measurement is correct and means that the concept
is expressed in English by the term “measurement” and is about measurement
as an entity of the world. (It may appear that there is exception in expressions
such as
the concept of measurement
but this implicitly stands for
the concept of the entity of the world measurement
and thus the term is not delimited.)
Throughout the book we adopt this notation (the change from ISO standards
is in the delimiters for concepts: while ISO standards recommend single
quotes, e.g., the concept ‘measurement’, we use angle brackets, which are
more clearly distinguished from double quotes), with the only exception of
italic or bold terms, which are not delimited. Furthermore, quotations are also
delimited by double quotes “as in this example”, and quotations inside quotations are delimited by single quotes.
2.1 Introduction
A term usually stands for the entity it designates, but sometimes we use
terms to refer to concepts or even to terms themselves. For example, on the
subject of measurement one could write that it is a process aimed at producing
quantitative information: here the reference is to the entity measurement, a
process performed by means of suitable instruments, etc. One could also write
that measurement is intended differently in physical and social sciences: here
the reference is to the concept measurement, a critical unit of knowledge in
metrology. Finally, it might be even the case that one wants to emphasize that
measurement is an English noun, the plural form of which is measurements:
here the reference is to the term measurement, a lexical entity.
The sense of a term is the concept it designates and the referent of a term
is the entity it refers to. An analogous distinction is put between the intension
and the extension of a concept: “The set of characteristics that come together
to form the concept is called the intension of the concept. The set of objects
conceptualized as a concept is known as the extension of the concept” (ISO,
2009: 5.4.3).
In order to maintain a clear distinction between terms referring to entities
of the world, to concepts, and to terms, we will henceforth adapt the notational convention of ISO standards (e.g., ISO, 2009). A term, and more generally a linguistic expression, referring to:
• Itself, i.e., a term, is delimited by double quotes “ ”.
• A concept, i.e., the meaning of the term, is delimited by angle brackets < >.
• An entity of the world, i.e., the referent of the term, is not delimited.
Here the lack of delimiters around terms for entities of the world is in accordance to the economic principle that terms for entities of the world should not
be delimited because in everyday writing we usually refer to entities of the
world, not to concepts or terms.
Hence the sentence
measurement is correct and means that the concept
is expressed in English by the term “measurement” and is about measurement
as an entity of the world. (It may appear that there is exception in expressions
such as
the concept of measurement
but this implicitly stands for
the concept of the entity of the world measurement
and thus the term is not delimited.)
Throughout the book we adopt this notation (the change from ISO standards
is in the delimiters for concepts: while ISO standards recommend single
quotes, e.g., the concept ‘measurement’, we use angle brackets, which are
more clearly distinguished from double quotes), with the only exception of
italic or bold terms, which are not delimited. Furthermore, quotations are also
delimited by double quotes “as in this example”, and quotations inside quotations are delimited by single quotes.
2.1 Introduction