Extension, Prototype &

Reference
Ton Hoang Duc
9CHA
Extension
• Definition: The extension is the complete is set of all individuals to which that
predicate can truthfully be applied. It is set of all things that could be potentially
referred to by using an expression whose main element is that predicate.
Examples:
• The extension of window is the set of all windows.
• The extension of house is the set of all houses.
Problem
• Problem is a case here there is doubt whether a certain predicate belongs to one
extension or another.
• To solve problem we can use “Prototype”.
Prototype
• Definition: Prototype of a predicate is an object that is held to be typical of the
kind of object which can be referred to by an expression containing the predicate.
Example:
• A man of medium height and average build, between 30 and 50 years old, with
blonde hair, with no particularly distinctive characteristics or defects could be
a prototype of the predicate man in certain areas of the world. But a dwarf or
hugely muscular body builder could not be a prototype of the predicate man.
Prototype
• The idea of a prototype is perhaps most useful in explaining how people learn to
use the predicates in their language correctly. Predicates like man is often first
taught to toddlers by pointing out to them typical examples of men. A mother may
point to the child’s father and say ‘Daddy is a man’.
• In abstract terms (e.g. love, ambition) there is about as much difficulty in
identifying the prototype of the predicate as there is of identifying its extension.
Reference
• Reference of an expression which is used in a particular utterance is an individual
member of the extension of the word used in the expression.
• Reference is also a relationship between certain uttered expressions and things in
the world.
• The referent of a referring expression is the thing picked out by the use of that
expression on a particular occasion of utterance.
Example:
• The referent of the capital of Saudi Arabia is the city of Ryaidh.
Relationship between Extension, Prototype,
and Reference
• Extension, prototype, and reference are focus attention on the relationship
between words and things. Clearly, language does not exist in a vacuum. It is used
to make statements about the world outside, and these three notions are useful in
an analysis of exactly how the relationship between language and the world
works.
Thank you