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n investigating officer provides a theory of a particular crime, there is similarly a set of interpretations of the elements of the event or situation in question, each of which attracts a general principle or method of further investigation, to be pursued in order to identify suspects and ultimately solve the crime.

Is it possible to give an essence of a theory, in such a way that it covers everything that we call a theory, and nothing else? Here it is useful to make some general observations about language which have much wider application, and may be of use to you directly in your primary field of advanced study or research.

First we can distinguish between the denotation (sometimes called extension) and the connotation (sometimes called the intension) of a word.

The denotation of a word is the set of things in the world to which the word properly applies. Thus the denotation of the word ‘theory’ is every thing in the world which is properly called a theory.

The connotation of a word is that in virtue of which those things, and only those things, are properly called by that word. Thus the connotation of the word ‘theory’ is that in virtue of which, all – and only – things of the sort listed above are properly called theories.

Two words may have the same denotation but a different connotation. For example the words ‘unicorn’ and the word ‘dragon’ have the same denotation (namely nothing) but different connotations.

It is common to attempt to capture the connotation of a word in a definition – a brief formula of other words (or – as we shall see – a procedure) which successfully marks off all, and only, those actual (if any) and possible things to which the word applies.

Definitions may be divided into important sub-classes. There are verbal (or ‘word – word(s)’ definitions, and there are ostensive (or look, point, and test) definitions. Some words can only be defined ostensively. For example colour words cannot be defined verbally. So, how do we teach someone the meaning of the word ‘red’? By pointing at a red surface and getting the person to look at it, then another (perhaps a red liquid), then another (perhaps a red light) until the pupil can continue identifying red things unaided. (Some words which are verbally definable are also ostensively definable e.g. ‘horse’. Most children are naturally taught for some time entirely by ostensive definitions.)

Verbal definitions can further be divided into those which are lexical (which attempt to record standard usage accurately) and those which are stipulative (which do not attempt to record standard usage accurately, but lay down (stipulate) a particular meaning that the word will have in a particular context or for a particular purposes. (For example, ‘In this paper I shall mean by a theory any thing which is … ) Stipulative definitions are common and useful where it is necessary to avoid pitfalls that may be associated with an ambiguity or vagueness in ordinary use.

When you are doing an analysis, or writing an essay or a research paper, you may find it useful to make explicit use of some of the above technical distinctions – certainly, it can help avoid misunderstanding on the part of the reader or assessor.

Where a word does have a verbal definition, and in particular when it has a lexical definition, it is sometimes said (though not so often today) that the formula which expresses its connotation, i.e. w本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。