TERMS

A. MEANING/DEFINITION
 Terms are verbal or written words or signs communicative of a concept or idea. The spoken
word is an articulated human voice and the written word is the sign of the spoken word.
SIGN is something that manifests a different thing aside from itself.
Examples:
Color red is a sign of martyrdom.

Kinds of Signs:
1. Natural signs are signs whose connection with the objects they manifest is provided by nature.
Examples:
1. A heavy dark cloud is a natural sign of an oncoming rain.
2. Smoke is a natural sign of fire.

2. Conventional sign is a sign whose connection with the thing it manifests is provided by common
understanding or agreement.
Examples:
1. Flag
2. Traffic lights
Spoken/Written Words, therefore, are conventional signs. Thus, different peoples have different
words to designate the same object.

B. CLASSIFICATION OF TERMS
A. ACCORDING TO MEANING
1. Univocal term expressing the same meaning as applied to several subjects.
Ex. Man, podium, stone

2. Analogous term expressing cognate or related meaning.

partially different, partially the same.
Ex. Beautiful song- beautiful lady
Good mother- good heart.

3. Equivocal  term that is outwardly and externally identical or the same but expressing different
meanings.
Ex. son-sun, hot-hat-hut, bottle- battle

B. ACCORDING TO COMPREHENSION
1. Concrete these are terms that can be perceived; they are sensible and tangible.
Examples:
House
Church
Animal
Horse
River
2. Abstract  signifies a nature or quality though it exists on its own right and apart from the
individual or subject.
Examples:
Friendship Humanity Love
Manhood Authority Loyalty

C. ACCORDING TO EXTENSION
1. Singular signifies one, definite, specific individual.
Signs and determinants:
a.)Proper Nouns
b.)Nouns modified by adjective in the superlative degree
c.)Collective nouns
d)Demonstratives
e.)Personal pronouns
Examples:
 My father
His dog
The First gentleman
President George Bush
The highest mountain

2. Universal signifies all the individuals within the extension of such concept.
Signs and determinants:
a) Universal expressions
b) Universal ideas
a statement which is true all the time
Examples:
Everybody
All students
Nobody
Every
Each one

3. Particular signifies a part or portion of the total extension of such concept.

 term that stands for an indefinite part of an absolute extension
Signs and determinants:
a ) Indefinite pronouns or adjectives
b) Use of numbers
c) General propositions
A statement which is true most of the time but not all the time.
Examples:
Some teachers
Few candidates
Most schools

D. ACCORDING TO RELATION
1. Identical Terms are those having the same comprehension and extension.
Examples:
Lawyer and attorney God and Supreme being
Man and rational being disciple and follower
2. Similar Terms-are those having the same extension but different comprehension.
Examples:
Writer and journalist
Teacher and professor
3. Compatible Terms are those expressing features which may be present at the same time in one
individual or subject.
Examples:
Rich and humble tall and dark and handsome
Intelligent and beautiful beautiful and intelligent
4. Incompatible Terms  are those expressing features which cannot be present together and
simultaneously in one individual or subject.
Examples:
Rich and poor hot and cold
Weak and healthy good and bad
5. Relative Terms  are those that express a feature of a thing which cannot be thought of without
implying another.
Examples:
Master-slave
Teacher-student
Doctor-patient
6. Privative Terms  are those which express the absence or lack of perfection in an individual or
subject.

Examples:
Blindness- is the absence of sight
 Death- is the absence of life
Ignorance- is the absence of knowledge
7. Contradictory Terms  are those so related that one is the simple negation of the other. There is
no underlying middle between contradictory terms.
Examples:
Mortal-immortal
Something-nothing
8. Contrary Terms  are those that express the extreme opposites in a given category or series of the
same class. There is an underlying middle between contrary terms.
Examples:
First and last
Left and right

CLASSIFICATION OF CONCEPTS

First Classification
Two kinds:
1. First Intention: a concept by which we know a thing independent of our
mind.
Ex. Humans have two legs.
2. Second Intention: a concept by which we conceive a thing in reality in so
far as the mind understands it.
Ex. The Philippines is the Pearl of the Orient Seas.

Second Classification
Two kinds: 1. Concrete – It creates a form and subject in the mind.
Ex. Black dress, Red lips, Green shirt

2. Abstract – A concept endowed with form only.

Ex. blackness, loyalty

Third Classification – a concept which could either be ”absolute” or

“connotative”.
Two kinds:
1. Absolute – a concept that manifests itself to the mind as a substance and
as an independent reality. Ex. Man, God

2. Connotative – a concept that manifests itself to the mind as an accident

connected to a substance.
Ex. Debater, speaker, kind, beautiful

Fourth Classification - it depends on the quality of the sentence.

Two kinds:
1. Positive – an essential characteristic of this classification is that it
formulates the concept in an affirmative form.
Ex. She is an honest person.
2. Negative – It expresses an object that lacks something or that which is
stated in negative form.
Ex. Pedro is not happy.
Concept as a Sign

Sign: It is anything which leads us to be aware of something else.

a. Natural Sign – those that by their nature signify something else.

Ex. Smoke, footprints, rain

b. Conventional Sign – those that by convention or tradition are assigned to

signify something. It is also called as “arbitrary signs”.
Ex. Traffic Signs, Military Patches, Agency Logo

c. Formal Signs – those that do not signify things but explain them to be
what they are.
Ex. Pictures, rosary beads, bible

Phantasm VS Concept

Phantasm: It is a sensible image produced by the senses in the absence of an object.

Phantasm Concept
Material Immaterial
Concrete Abstract
Changeable Unchangeable

IDEAS and CONCEPTS

Ideas and Concepts are abstract representation of reality. It focuses on the

nature or essence of things. Ideas are mental signs whereby humans grasp
and understand the essences of things.

Classifications of Ideas:

Ideas may refer to an actual reality or to the idea itself. Other ideas
may be as they are or as product of the imagination. They may refer to the
universal or to the particular extension. Ideas are classified into:

A.1. First Intention – ideas that express objects not only as they are in the
mind but also as they are in reality. Examples: The idea of a clinic, a hospital,
or a house.
A.2. Second Intention – ideas that express what they are in the mind.
Concepts that express things that has mental existence These things that
exist as a result of being thought of. Examples: Pegasus, Batman, and
Superman
B.1. Concrete – an idea that expresses a form as inhering in a subject.
Examples: beautiful lady, brilliant lawyer, excellent teacher and caring nurse
B.2. Abstract - an idea that expresses form only, separated from its subject.
Examples: beauty, brilliance, health and wealth
C.1. Absolute – an idea that expresses a thing as a substance or an
independent reality. Examples: man, planet, ocean
C.2. Connotative – an idea that expresses an accident or quality inhering in a
substance. Examples: teacher, anesthesiologist, pediatrician and driver
D.1. Positive – an idea that expresses a thing according to what it is or what
it has. Example: rich, educated, perfect, skilled
D.2. Negative – an idea that expresses a thing according to what it is not or
what it lacks. Examples: poor, uneducated, imperfect, unskilled

TERMS: The Expressions of Ideas

A term is an external representation of an idea. For every idea there is

a corresponding term. Words, however, are not necessarily terms. Thus, there
is no one to one correspondence between terms and words. A word may not
necessarily represent an idea but all terms are words that contain
corresponding ideas.

Properties of TERMS

a. Comprehension-the sum total of all qualities, which constitute the

meaning of a term. The comprehension of a term expresses the essence of
the object. The comprehension therefore is the meaning. Example: Man =
rational animal

b. Extension – the sum total of all individuals or objects to which the

comprehension of a term is applied. Example: Man = Peter, Paul, John

Comprehension and extension are inversely proportional. The greater is the

comprehension of a TERM, the less is its extension. The less its
comprehension the greater is the extension.

The Inversely Proportional Relationship of Comprehension

and Extension

Notice that when the comprehension of the term substance increases its
extension decreases. Man has the largest comprehension but the least
extension.
Kinds of TERMS according to Comprehension
1. Univocal – a term that is used in exactly the same sense and meaning
in at least two occurrences. Example: Peter is a nurse. John is a nurse. Man
is in this case is univocal.
2. Equivocal – a term that is used with totally different meanings in at least
two occurrences. Example: The rebel base is located at the base of the
mountain. Base in this case is equivocal.
3. Analogous- a term that expresses not exactly the same but not totally
different meanings. Example: good teacher, good clinical instructor, and good
robber.
Good in this case is analogous.
Kinds of Terms according to Extension
1. Singular- refers to a definite individual or thing. The indicators are:
a. The definite article “The” example: The student is comatose.
b. Proper names – examples: Cubao, Michael, Luneta
c. Demonstrative Pronouns/Adjectives- examples: this, that, these, those
d. Superlative Adjectives – example: most, best, worst
e. Personal Pronouns – examples: he, her, we, our

1. Particular- refers to an indefinite part of a whole. The indicators are;

a. Indefinite article “a” or “an”
b. Use of numbers: either ordinals or cardinals such as: ten, three, sixty,
second, third
c. General Ideas – examples: Filipinos are hospitable. Men are stronger
than women
d. Indefinite Pronouns/Adjectives-examples: some, few, several

2. Universal – refers to all individuals signified by the term. The indicators

are;
a. Universal Quantifiers – examples: all, each, everyone
b. Universal Ideas – examples: Man is rational, A giraffe is an animal with
a long neck.
 Other Properties of Terms and Ideas

1. Supposition

Supposition refers to the specific meaning of the term as used in the

statement, the meaning of the term according to its context. It is the actual
idea or reality being meant by the term. Example: Dr. Garcia runs a
flourishing pharmaceutical business. The supposition of the term “runs” is
manages.

2. Predicaments

Predicaments refer to the set of fundamental ideas in terms of which

all other ideas can be expressed. This is otherwise known as categories or
first intentions. Predicaments are applied to universal concepts by which other
concepts can be expressed or classified.

2 types of Predicaments

1. Substance-it is that which has its existence not in another but in and for
itself. It is defined without reference to a subject. Examples: Hospital,
Medicines, Blackboard; chalk; book

2. Accident- refers to everything added to a substance as a further

determination.
Examples: blue; big; soft; triangular

Types of Accidents

1. Quantity- the modification of a substance as regards the effect of having

extension and divisibility. Examples: 200 pounds., six feet, 2 kilometers, ten
centimeters

2. Quality- the formal determination of a substance, which may be a habit,

disposition, capacity or the form and figure of a thing. Examples: charming,
hot, smooth

3. Relation- the manner in which substances refer to each other.

Examples: Student, teacher, principal, son, fiancée

4. Action- the production of an effect in another. Examples: teaching,

coaching, directing, dancing

5. Passion- the reception of an effect from another. Examples: was seen, was
taught, being heard

6. When(Time)- the situation in time. Examples: last night, tomorrow, today at

7 a.m.
7. Where(Place) – the position in space. Examples: here, there, Quezon City,
at school, in theclassroom room, at the hospital

8. Posture- the determination of the substance as to the disposition of its

parts
Examples: sitting, lying, standing

9. Habit – the determination of the substance as to the external appearance

or outfit.
Examples: in a black dress, in brown shoes, covered by a blanket

3. Predicables

Predicables refer to the kind of relations, which may be obtained

between a term and the subject of which it is predicated. Predicables are also
known as second intentions.

Types of Predicables

1. Genus- a universal idea which expresses a part of the essence of a thing,

that part which is common with other species in the same class.

Examples: A lake is a body of water. , Man is an animal, A syrup is a

medication
.
2. Specific Difference- a universal idea which expresses a part of the
essence of a thing, that part which differentiates it from that of other species.

Examples: A lake is water surrounded by land. , Man is rational, A syrup is a

concentrated sugar solution

3. Species- a universal idea that expresses the complete essence of a thing.

Adding the specific difference to the genus constitutes it.

Example: A lake is a body of water surrounded by land, Man is a rational

anima, A syrup is a medication dissolved in concentrated sugar solution

4. Property – a universal idea that expresses an attribute that belongs to the

thing by
natural necessity.

Examples: A lake is a body of fresh water. , Man is capable of speech. A

syrup is sweet

5. Logical Accident – a universal idea that is not a part of the essence of a

thing but something that belongs to the thing not by natural necessity but by
contingency.

Examples: The lake is large, calm, and picturesque. , Peter is tall, dark and
handsome, A syrup may contain flavoring to make medication more palatable