TERMS

A term is a basic component of a syllogism.

By having two terms, we come up with a
proposition. A series of propositions can
make up a syllogism. The traditional order
of treatment, therefore, begins with the
study of terms, proceeds with the study of
propositions, and ends with the study of
syllogisms.
This lesson discusses the nature and
distinction of words, concepts, and terms. It
further deals on the different classification
of terms according to their quantity, quality,
and incompatible relations.
Learning Objectives

• At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:

1. Compare and contrast words and concepts; words and terms.
2. Differentiate natural from conventional signs.
3. Explain why terms are considered conventional signs.
4. Discuss the nature and relationship of comprehension and
extension.
5. Illustrate through examples the different classifications of
terms.
Words, Concepts, and Terms

A word, which is a basic unit of language, is composed of different letters. It has two
categories, namely: function word and content word. Function words refer to words that
have no semantic content or meaning like articles (i.e., a, an, the), prepositions (i.e., at, to,
for, in, by), and conjunctions (i.e., and, that, when, while, although). Content words refer to
words that have meaning. They point to a certain concept like nouns.

Concepts are made up of ideas. Words are used to represent an idea or concept. However,
some ideas cannot be given a word (Acuña: 2001). These words can only be understood
when our attention goes to the object that the word is meant to designate.
When a word or group of words is used to express a concept, we call them terms.

Concepts refer to the mental representation of an object in reality (Bachhuber: 1957). They
are abstract, immaterial and intelligible. Terms are the external sign of a concept. They are
• Concept and term are often used interchangeably but care must be taken to distinguish
one from the other as explained above. Sometimes, notion is also used to mean concept,
idea or term.

• The more important distinction is between term and word. A term is a word but not all
words are terms. As discussed, word has a wider meaning and it includes elements of
language like articles, prepositions, and conjunctions, which do not really represent an
object in reality.
• In Logic, we are concerned with the term, which carries a meaning that points to an
object in reality. This can be illustrated clearly by the difference between a “dog” (a term)
and “in” (a mere word).
 Terms as Conventional Signs

• Terms are signs. They stand for things in the objective world. There are two kinds of sign: natural
and conventional (Agapay: 1991). Natural signs symbolize natural occurrences, e.g., smoke is the
sign of fire. The relation between the fire and the smoke is that of a cause to an effect in the order
of nature.
• Conventional signs, on the contrary, derive their meaning from human convention. This convention
is an agreement that is binding in a given community, either because people have come to accept it
or because of an explicit understanding among people. Traffic light and road signs are good
examples of conventional signs.
• Terms are conventional signs because they are products of convention and are used in a more or
less the same way (Acuña. 2001). People create their meaning and usage. Due to the diversity of
cultures and people, a term could vary in meaning and usage with each culture and group of
people.
 The Comprehension and Extension of Terms

• A term has twofold elements: comprehension and extension. Comprehension includes the characteristics,
attributes, or qualities that the term implies (Bittle: 1950). Let us take the term “bachelor.” This term
implies the “state of being unmarried” of a “man,” so that the comprehension of the term “bachelor” is
“an unmarried man.” This is true of every one who is labeled a “bachelor.” The comprehension of a term,
therefore, refers to the features shared by all objects to which the term may be rightly applied.
• Extension, on the other hand, is the group of individual objects to which the term may be correctly
applied. Thus, the extension of the term “bachelor” includes every person who is unmarried.
• To illustrate the distinction more clearly, here is another example: the term “university” has for its
comprehension a higher institute of learning”; and for its extension “Mindanao State University, Xavier
University, Notre Dame University,” among others.
• The comprehension and the extension of a term are inversely proportional (Ardales: 1998) to each other
so that according to a principle of Logic: “when the comprehension is increased, the extension decreases;
and when the extension is increased, the comprehension decreases.”
 • Let us give an example to explain this relationship between the comprehension and the
extension of a term. Let us use the term “mother.” The extension of this term applies to all
female human beings who have given birth to a child. If we add to the comprehension of the
term by qualifying it, say, “Filipino mothers,” the extension will be greatly reduced and will
exclude non-Filipino women who have begotten a child. If we further expand the
comprehension by saying “teenage Filipino mothers,” we further decrease the extension.
• Now, let us begin with the extension of a term. Let us take the case of one professor and say
that the full comprehension is “a female English professor at Mindanao State University.” If we
ay (Acule increase the extension by adding to the number other English professors, including
male, the comprehension will have to be limited to “English professors at Mindanao State
University.” Suppose we add more English professors from other universities, the
comprehension will now be reduced to “English professors.” And if we add philosophy
professors to the group, thus increasing their number, the comprehension will further be
.
• The Inverse Relation between Comprehension and Extension

The Inverse Relation between Comprehension

and Extension
 The Classification of Terms

• There are various classifications of the term, but for the purpose of this book
classification covers only the following: extension (quantity), comprehension (quality),
and incompatibility.
• Terms According to Quantity
• According to quantity, terms are either singular, particular and universal (Keynes:
1887).
• Singular term applies to one definite individual, e.g., Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr.
• Particular term applies to some portion of a class. Examples are “most graduates,”
“some teachers,” “few students,” “many sections,” and the like.
• Universal term applies to all the members of a class, e.g.. “man” (referring to the human species). In
Logic, the universal term is often introduced by the quantifier all in the affirmative e.g., “all animals
(which means every member of the class animal is included) or no in the negative e.g., no animal
(which means every member of the class animal is excluded).
• Terms According to Quality
• According to quality, terms are classified into univocal and equivocal (Timbreza: 1992).
• A term is said to be univocal when it carries exactly the same meaning even if it is predicated of two
or more individuals. The term “tree,” for instance, whether applied to a ‘narra,’ a ‘maple,’ a ‘coconut,’
or a ‘mahogany, means the same thing.
• A term is equivocal when it changes its meaning when it is predicated of different individuals. The
term “star” when applied to Venus means a ‘celestial body’ but when applied to Nora Aunor means
an actress.’
 • Terms According to Incompatibility
• According to incompatibility, terms are classified into contradictory and contrary (Bauzon: 1994).
Contradictory terms are absolutely opposed to each other in meaning. If one is an affirmation, the other is
its complete negation. There is no possible middle ground between contradictory, terms. They totally
exclude each other. For example, the term “black” is the contradictory of “non- black,” and “living” of “non-
livirtg.” An object is either black or non- black; a thing is either living or non-living. There is no other
possible option.
• Contrary terms are opposed to each other since they represent two extremes in a particular order or class
of nature or reality. As such they are not totally exclusive and a middle ground or alternative is possible
between them. “Black,” for instance, in the order of color, is the contrary of “white,” and between them
there can be other colors. In the order of life, “alive” is the contrary of “dead” and between them there can
be a state of being half-alive (biologically) and half dead (mentally). Some other examples of contraries are
“extra large and extra small,” (class of size) “tall and short,” (class of height) “pretty and ugly,” (class of
beauty) “happy and miserable,” (class of emotion), etc.
Summary of Main Points

1. Word is composed of letters. It has two categories: function word and content
word.
2. Concepts are immaterial and intelligible signs of objective reality whereas terms
are material and sensible signs of the same reality.
THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!