Single Idea 21658

[catalogued under 19. Language / C. Assigning Meanings / 3. Predicates]

Full Idea

Simply because there is no single word in a certain language for a certain property doesn't mean that it isn't expressible in that language.

Gist of Idea

Properties can be expressed in a language despite the absence of a single word for them

Source

Thomas Hofweber (Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics [2016], 09.1.1)

Book Reference

Hofweber,Thomas: 'Ontology and the Ambitions of Metaphysics' [OUP 2018], p.231


A Reaction

Good. For example a shade of blue for which there is no label might be 'the next darkest discriminable shade of blue adjacent to the one we are looking at'. And then the one after that... But 'tastes better than Diet Pepsi' in ancient Greek?