LINGUISTIC VARIABLES

Dr. Zaheeruddin
Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering & Technology
Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University)
New Delhi, India

Email: zaheeruddin@jmi.ac.in
Mobile: 9910170032
 VARIABLES AND LINGUISTIC VARIABLES

l one of the most basic concepts in science is that of a

variable

l variable -numerical (X=5; X=(3, 2); …)

-linguistic (X is small; (X, Y) is much
larger)
A numerical variables takes numerical values: Age = 65
A linguistic variables takes linguistic values: Age is old
A linguistic value is a fuzzy set.

l the concept of a linguistic variable plays a central role in

fuzzy logic and underlies most of its applications
 Linguistic Variables
l The concept of linguistic variables introduced by Zadeh is an
alternative approach to modeling human thinking
l Information is expressed in terms of fuzzy sets instead of crisp
numbers
l Linguistic variable is ”a variable whose values are
words or sentences in a natural or artificial language”.
l Each linguistic variable may be assigned one or more
linguistic values, which are in turn connected to a
numeric value through the mechanism of membership
functions.
 Linguistic variables and
Linguistics values (Fuzzy Sets)
color: red, blue, green, yellow, …
age: young, middle-aged, old, very old
size: small, big, very big, …
distance: near, far, very, not very far, …

 young middle-aged
old
1

0 age
100
 Linguistic Variables and Fuzzy Sets

A linguistic variable combines several fuzzy sets.

Linguistic variable : temperature
Linguistics terms (fuzzy sets) : { cold, warm, hot }

(x)
cold warm hot
1

0 20 60 x [C]
 Linguistic Variables and Fuzzy Sets
For example, if age is interpreted as a linguistic variable, 
then  its  term-set,  T(    ),  that  is,  the  set  of  its  linguistic 
values, might be
T( age) = young + old + very young + not young + very 
old  +  very  very  young  +  rather  young  +  more  or  less 
young + .......  
where each  of  the  terms  in  T(age)  is  a  label  of  a  fuzzy 
subset of a universe of discourse, say U = [0,100].
 Representation of Linguistic Variables
l Linguistic Variables are represented by a quintuple (x,
T(x), U, G, M)
l x: name of variable
l T(x): set of linguistic terms (or values) which can be a
value of the variable
l U: set of universe of discourse which defines the
characteristics of the variable
l G: syntactic grammar (or rule) that generates the
linguistic values in T(x)
l M: semantic rule which provides meanings in T(x) for
the linguistic values in U
 Linguistic Variables
• A linguistic variable is associated with two rules:
• a syntactic rule, which defines the well-formed sentences in T(  
). In other words, The syntactic rule refers to the way the terms 
in T(age) are generated
• a semantic rule, by which the meaning of the terms in T( ) may 
be  determined.  The  semantic  rule  defines  the  membership 
function of each linguistic value of the term set. If X is a term 
in T(  ), then its meaning (in a denotational sense) is a subset 
of U.  
•   
 Linguistic Variables

l A primary fuzzy set, that is, a term whose meaning

must be defined a priori, and serves as a basis for the
computation of the meaning of the non-primary terms
in T( ).
l The term set consists of primary terms as (young,
middle aged, old) modified by the negation (“not”)
and/or the hedges (very, more or less, quite,
extremely,…) and linked by connectives such as (and,
or, either, neither,…)
 Example
X = (Age, T(Age), U, G, M)

Age: name of the variable X

T(Age): {young, very young, very very young, …}

U: [0,100] universe of discourse

G(Age): Ti+1 = {young}  {very Ti}

M(young) = {(u, young(u)) | u  [0,100]}

 Linguistic Variables
All linguistic values form a term set:
T(age) = {young, not young, very young, ...
middle aged, not middle aged, ...
old, not old, very old, more or less old, ...
not very yound and not very old, ...}
 EXAMPLE
l Where each term T(age) is characterized by a fuzzy
set of a universe of discourse X= = [0,100]
 LINGUISTIC VARIABLE MODIFIER

Dr. Zaheeruddin
Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering & Technology
Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University)
New Delhi, India

Email: zaheeruddin@jmi.ac.in
Mobile: 9910170032
 Linguistic Variable Modifier (Hedges)

l A modifier may be used to further enhance the ability to

describe our fuzzy concepts.
l Modifiers (very, slightly, etc.) used in phrases such as
very hot or slightly cold change (modify) the shape of a
fuzzy set in a way that suits the meaning of the word
used. These modifiers are commonly referred to as
hedges.
l Hedges are modifiers of fuzzy set membership functions.
l These modifiers change the shape of a fuzzy set using
mathematical operations on each point of the set.
 Linguistic Modifiers
l Linguistic Modifiers (or hedges) are unary operators
which alter a fuzzy set membership function
l Different modifiers are grouped in families on the basis
of the kind of alteration they represent
l Concentrator and Dilators
l Contrast intensifiers/dilators
l Approximation
l Restriction
l Each family is defined on the terms of axioms that the
modified set must satisfy
 Concentrators/ Dilators
l CONcentration and DILution – transform original membership 
function µ(x)  µn(x), 
l If n > 1 (concentration)  increases membership
l If n < 1 (dilation)         decreases membership
l “very”, “extremely” (concentrators)
l “quite”, “a little” (dilators)
 Fuzzy Set Hedges (Examples)
l Membership “very” of variable x = (membership of variable x) 2

l If income is low to a degree of 0.8, then income will be very

low to a degree of (0.8)2= 0.64.

l Membership “more or less” of variable x

= (membership of variable x)

l Hedges reduce the number of fuzzy sets that need to be

created

l Hedges also increase the readability of rules and

consequently ease maintenance.
 Linguistic Variable Modifier: Example
Suppose  the  primary  terms  are  young  and  old,  whose 
meaning might  be defined by their respective compatibility 
functions   young and   old.  From these, then, the meaning - 
or,  equivalently,  the  compatibility  functions  -  of  the  non-
primary  terms  may  be  computed  by  the  application  of  a 
semantic rule. 
very young = (young)2
more or less old = (old)1/2
not very young = 1- (young)2
 Fuzzy modifier (hedge)
A new term can be obtained when we add a
modifier “very” to a primary term
very young(x) = (young(x))2


young
0.5 very young

u
0
25 50 75 100 base
variable
 LINGUISTIC VARIABLES
Example: Age
primary terms: young, middle-aged, old
modifiers: not, very, quite, rather, …
linguistic values: young, very young, not very young, and
not very old, …
µ

young middle-aged old

1

very old

0
Age
 Fuzzy modifier (hedge)

An example of a fuzzy linguistic variable

and membership functions
 HEDGES
The membership of Fast can be altered by VERY fast by
an exponential operator like the one indicated in the
figure :
 Linguistic Variable Modifiers
Examples: VERY (µ2(x)), EXTREMELY (µ3(x)), 
SOMEWHAT, MORE_OR_LESS (µ0.5(x)) 
Operations on Linguistic Values

Concentration:
Dilation:
Contrast
intensification:

intensif.m
 Concentration & dilation of linguistic values

l Let A be a linguistic value described by a fuzzy set with

membership function A(.)

l A2 = CON(A) is called the concentration operation

l A = DIL(A) is called the dilation operation

l CON(A) & DIL(A) are useful in expression the hedges such as

“very” & “more or less” in the linguistic term A

l Other definitions for linguistic hedges are also possible

 Example: Construction of MFs for
composite linguistic terms
§ Not young and not old = young  old =

§ Young but not too young = young  young2 (too =

very) =

§ Extremely old  very very very old

= CON (CON(CON(old))) =
Linguistic Values (Terms)
l Contrast intensification: the operation of contrast
intensification on a linguistic value A is defined by

l INT increases the values of A(x) which are greater

than 0.5 & decreases those which are less than or equal
to 0.5

l Contrast intensification has effect of reducing the

fuzziness of the linguistic value A
 EXAMPLE
X = (Age, T(Age), U, G, M)
Age: name of the variable X
T(Age): {young, very young, very very young, …}
U: [0,100] universe of discourse
G(Age): Ti+1 = {young}  {very Ti}
M(young) = {(u, young(u)) | u  [0,100]}