ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI

LESSON 1: THE
LESSON 6A: CONCEPT PAPER HIGHER SCHOOL NG UMAK
TheDEFINING
Art of Defining
A CONCEPT

Time Started : ___________

Time Ended : ___________
LEARNING OBJECTIVE

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

A. know the types of definition;

B. distinguish the different types and techniques of defining a term; and
C. write examples of formal, informal, and extended definition.

INTRODUCTION/KEY POINTS

If someone shows you a book and say “this is called BLAH, not a BOOK,” would you
believe that person? Most probably, you would not take his or her word for it; you may even question
his/her credibility because you very well know that it is a BOOK and not a BLAH. This example
shows that words can be “slippery” because they can be used differently by people who have specific
and distinct experiences, attitudes, and values. These backgrounds influence the way words are used
and interpreted. Language, in this sense, is arbitrary in that it may change from person to person,
from culture to culture. Thus, in order for language to communicate, words must have accepted
definitions (Nadell, 2005).

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

 LESSON 6A: DEFINING A CONCEPT

KNOWLEDGE BOOSTER (CORE CONTENT)

What is Definition?

It is a mode of paragraph development that answers the questions: What is it? What does
it mean? What are its special features? The word to be defined may be an object, a concept, a person,
a place, or a phenomenon.
Definition is important because it clarifies the meaning of a word or a concept and it also
limits the scope of that particular word or concept. Limiting the scope controls and avoids
misinterpretations, vague notions, and/or broad ideas.

Types of Definition

1. Formal Definition – the most common way of defining a term is by giving the „genus‟ and
„differentia‟ of the term or word. The genus is the class where the term belongs while the „differentia‟
is the characteristics that distinguish the term from other terms.
Example:
Term = genus + differentia
Tree = a plant + usually tall, has a thick wooden stem, and has many large branches

2. Informal Definition- it provides operational definition or synonym of the term since not all
words or concepts can be defined using the formal definition. Operational definition refers to how a
term is used when applied in a specific context. For example, the operational definition of “male” in
the a particular study is “someone who has larger, and more robust bones and joint surfaces”.
Furthermore, words like love, equality, democracy cannot be defined by giving their genus and
differentia thus informal definition must be applied.
Example:
Love- Love is an emotion that all human beings feel

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

 LESSON 6A: DEFINING A CONCEPT

3. Extended Definition – is needed to define profound and abstract concepts. It allows you to
broaden your definition by using analogy, metaphors, comparison and contrast, descriptions,
analysis, functions, etymology, and semantic origin.

Written below are examples of extended definition of democracy. Notice how the
formal definition is first used and expanded with the use of the different techniques of defining.

1) “Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally – either
directly or through elected representatives – in the proposal, development, and creation of laws.
2) It encompasses social, economic, and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal
practice of political self-determination.
3) The term originates from the Greek (demokratia) “rule of the people which was coined from
(demos) „people‟ and (kratos) „power‟ or „rule‟ in the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems
then existing in Greek city-state, notably Athens.
4) The term is an antonym to (aristokratia) “rule of the elite.”
5) While theoretically these definitions are in opposition, in practice, the distinction has been
blurred historically.
6) The political system of Classical Athens, for example, granted democratic citizenship to an
elite class of free men and excluded slaves and women from political participation.
7) In virtually all democratic governments throughout ancient and modern history, democratic
citizenship consisted of an elite class until full enfranchisement was won for all adult citizens in most
modern democracies through the suffrage movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.
8) The English word dates to the 16th century, from the older Middle French and Middle Latin
equivalents.
9) Democracy contrasts with forms of government where power is either held by one person, as
in a monarchy, or where power is held by a small number of individuals, as in an oligarchy.
10) Nevertheless, these oppositions, inherited from Greek philosophy, are now ambiguous
because contemporary governments have mixed democratic, oligarchic, and monarchic elements.
11) Democracy is far from dictatorship or tyranny because it provides opportunities for the
people to control their leaders and to oust them without the need for a revolution.
12.) Democracy shares the same notion with the republic and sometimes interchangeably used as
terms refer to a state which the supreme power is held by the people and their elected representative.

In the preceding example, democracy was first given a formal definition – a term that
belongs to the class, “form of government.” What distinguishes it from other forms of government is
that “all eligible citizens participate equally – either directly or through elected representatives – in
the proposal, development, and creation of laws.” The definition was further extended using analysis
by saying that “[democracy] encompasses social, economic, and cultural conditions that enable the
free and equal practice of political self-determination.” Specifically, one can apply the tactics of
extended definition by using the following techniques of defining:

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

 LESSON 6A: DEFINING A CONCEPT

Definition by Etymology – to make the definition clearer, the origin of the word is traced
Sentence #3
Definition by Contrast – the word is defined by the use of opposites
Sentences #4 & 5
Definition by Example – the contrast is further established by giving examples
Sentences # 6 & 7
Definition by Function - stating what the term is for
Sentence #2
Definition by Synonym- using a similar word or phrase to define a word
Sentence #12
Definition by Analogy- comparing the term to another object, concept, or idea that shares
related characteristic as the term being defined
Sentence #11

ASSESSMENT/ACTIVITY
Directions: Try to identify the different techniques of defining in the given text below. Write your
answers in the table provided.

1) “Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE0) is a curriculum and teaching

methodology that enables learners to participate well in education through the use of the first
language. MTB-MLE provides a strong foundation in the learners‟ first language (L1),”enabling
them to bild on the knowledge and experiences they bring to the classroom. MTB-MLE also
provides a good bridge to listening, speaking, reading and writing the second languages (l2,L3) of
the classroom using sound educational principles for building fluency and confidence in using the
other languages for lifelong learning.” (Dekker 2010:23)
2) Another way to grasp the concept of animatism is to differentiate the Cebuano terms gahum and
kusog. Gahum comes closer to the Tagalog galing, acquired power or skill as in the case of
politics, while kusog comes closer to the Tagalog lakas, an almost innate power with
connotations of dynamism and energy. Kusog and lakas are also adjectives that are used in other
contexts as in voice projection, where it means „loud‟ or „heavy.‟ Lakas or kusog is a closer
approximation of a powerful mystical force which is an important attribute of health itself, as
reflected in malakas ang katawan, „the body is strong.‟” ( Tan 2008:31)

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

 LESSON 6A: DEFINING A CONCEPT

What are the types and techniques of defining that you have identified in the 2 texts? Write it
down in the table.
Terms Defined Types &Technique/s Used in Defining Explanation

SELF-CHECK (SELF-ASSESSMENT)/ INSIGHT

Directions: Choose 5 words that you are interested to write with and create at least 1 formal, 1

informal, and 2 extended definitions of each word. Use the table provided below.

Words 1 Formal Definition 1 Informal Definition 2 Extended Definitions

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

REFERENCES
Dekker, D. 2010. What is Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education?

Marikit, T.2019. English for academic and professional purposes. Rex Printing Company

Nadell, B. 2005. The longman reader. Pearson Education

Tan, L. 2008. Revisiting Usog, Pasma, Kulam. University of the Philippines Press

ABM & LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT