ARCHIVED 2.4.2. Concepts and semantic Features
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.
Consult the Pavel in ...
Español Português Italiano Nederlands العربية
A concept is recognized as a unit of knowledge for a given class of individual objects when it systematically shares the same properties or characteristics with each individual object in that class wherever it is referred to in a given set of documents.
For instance, "lead pencil" is recognized by the following characteristics, or semantic features (taken from ISO/FDIS 704, 2000:3-4):
The specific object designated by the visual representation below has the following specific properties:
- Made of a long, thin piece of graphite;
- The graphite core is surrounded by a wood casing;
- The casing is yellow;
- At one end there is an eraser;
- At the other end, the graphite and casing have been sharpened to a point;
- It is used for writing or making marks
| object (visual representation) | Concept | designation (term) |
|---|---|---|
 |
abstraction based on the set of all lead pencils | Lead pencil |
Lead Pencil – Terminological Description
| Category | Property | Characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| Level of abstraction | Concreteness | Concreteness |
| Composition | Made of a long, thin piece of graphite | Graphite core |
| Composition | Wood casing surrounds graphite | Graphite core is encased in wood |
| Colour | Casing is yellow | Casing may be any colour |
| Composition | At one end there is an eraser | One end may have an eraser |
| Shape | Other end is sharpened to a point | One end may be sharpened to a point |
| Medium | Graphite is the writing medium | Graphite is the writing medium |
| Function | Used for writing or making marks | Used for writing or making marks |
Also, new concepts evolve through the combination, in different ways, of the characteristics of established concepts, and are in turn recognized through the repeated occurrence of the new combination of characteristics in various sources.
Example
Distance Learning + Online Learning + University = Virtual University
Virtual University + Campus = Virtual Campus
Not all semantic features identifying a concept in selected documents are needed in order to create a definition for that concept. Essential features are intrinsic to that concept, in the sense that they distinguish it from another and their absence makes it indistinguishable from another.
"For example, we can describe the concept watch by identifying such characteristics as ‘having a face...’, ‘being used to tell time’, and ‘having a movement driven in any of several ways’. These are necessary characteristics but not sufficient to distinguish a watch from other timepieces, so we have to add the characteristic of ‘being designed to be worn on a wristband, pin, or chain’. The necessary and sufficient characteristics of a concept, which enable us to distinguish it from all other concepts, are referred to as essential." (DUBUC/KENNEDY 1997:39)
- Date modified: