Exemplification
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Exemplification is a mode of symbolization characterized by the relation between a sample and what it refers to.
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[edit] Description
Unlike ostension, which is the act of showing or pointing to a sample, exemplification is possession of a property plus reference to its label (Goodman, 1976). For example, if a colour sample has the property labelled 'green', then the colour sample exemplifies green. Basically, possession of a property amounts to being referred to by its label.
[edit] Samples
While the label 'green' refers to any green thing, only things that are used as samples, such as the green swatches in a paint shop's booklet, exemplify it. Furthermore, exemplification is selective: a sample does not exemplify all of its properties (size, shape, aesthetic value etc.) but only those for which it is a symbol.
[edit] A mode of reference
Reference is the relation between something "standing for" something else. Usually it goes in one direction, for example, from a word to what it designates. But it is also used in both directions, for example, when product samples stand for certain properties they possess. While the label 'green' refers to a certain property of a product sample, the sample refers to the same property by exemplifying it. Therefore, exemplification is a mode of reference.
[edit] Uses of exemplification
- Product samples exemplify certain properties they possess.
- As a part in ostensive definition, i.e. definition by exemplification of what is defined. For example, an artist can define a new style by showing works that exemplify it.
- Defined exemplification is a pattern of essay development that uses specific instances (examples) to clarify a point, to add interest, or to persuade (Clouse, 2006).
[edit] References
- Goodman, Nelson, 1976, Languages of Art: An Approach to a Theory of Symbols. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, pp 52-57.
- Clouse, Barbara, 2006, Patterns for a Purpose: McGraw Hill Publishing Company, pg G-2
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Look up exemplification in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Goodman's aesthetics by Alessandro Giovannelli.
