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Terms and Their MeaningsPage 1 of 1
A term is a word or group pf words that refer to one or more objects, either real or ideal. Within the language, a linguistic expression corresponds to a term, for instance “that student who is reading in the library”. In the field of reality, an object or a class of objects corresponds to a term, in our example it is a concrete physical being, who has an identity and who is now reading in the library. The objects designated by terms can be:
We usually do not think about all these aspects. We use “words” and we do not pay attention to the fact that they express more that we think they do. However, terms are important when building and maintaining a point of view. This role is further emphasised by the elements shortly presented next. a. The meaning of terms helps us transmit our ideas; we shall be able to do this as long as the meaning of the terms we use is clear and the same for all interlocutors. For instance, let’s consider the term gender; we can often see that its use can lead to misunderstandings. When undefined, it may lead interlocutors to think that it refers to the grammatical category (masculine, feminine, neuter). It may also be understood as someone’s way of being or as a class of objects different from the others due to specific characteristics etc. It is thus necessary to clarify what meaning we attach to a specific term we use so that our interlocutor may receive the message we want to share. b. The place occupied by terms within sentences helps as stress their importance. It is true that we are taught in school to put the subject first, then the predicate, followed by other words determined by them. When we want to convince others, however, as is the case when we maintain a point of view, the order of terms is important. c. The way we choose the terms, namely the options we have to indicate an object. When we “choose our words”, we express more that what they indicate directly. For instance:
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