singular proposition
- noun
- /ˈsɪŋɡjələr ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
proposición singular
- Many debates in philosophy of language focus on how singular propositions relate to the objects they mention.
Examples
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In his argument, he stated that a singular proposition must focus on a specific individual, not a category.
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The statement 'Socrates is wise' is an example of a singular proposition in philosophy.
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In contrast to general statements, a singular proposition directly refers to one particular entity.
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A singular proposition can be easily identified in logical arguments.
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The statement 'Socrates is a man' is a singular proposition.
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The philosopher illustrated his point using a singular proposition about the existence of unicorns.
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To understand logic better, one should recognize that a singular proposition refers to one specific object or person.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'singular' (single, referring to one) modifies 'proposition' (a statement), so a learner can infer it denotes a statement about a single/specific individual. This follows common lexical composition and has clear cross-linguistic parallels in logical terminology, so a B1 learner who knows the two words should understand the MWE.
Etymology
Singular proposition comes from two simple ideas: singular meaning 'one' and proposition meaning 'a statement put forward'. It described a sentence that points to one particular person or thing, so today it means 'a statement about a single, specific thing'.
