types vs tokens
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In one sense of ‘word’ we may count three different words; in another
sense we may count ten different words. C. S. Peirce (1931-58, sec.
4.537) called words in the first sense “types” and words in the second
sense “tokens”. Types are generally said to be abstract and unique;
tokens are concrete particulars, composed of ink, pixels of light (or
the suitably circumscribed lack thereof) on a computer screen,
electronic strings of dots and dashes, smoke signals, hand signals,
sound waves, etc. A study of the ratio of written types to spoken
types found that there are twice as many word types in written Swedish
as in spoken Swedish (Allwood, 1998). If a pediatrician asks how many
words the toddler has uttered and is told “three hundred”, she might
well enquire “word types or word tokens?” because the former answer
indicates a prodigy. A headline that reads “From the Andes to Epcot,
the Adventures of an 8,000 year old Bean” might elicit “Is that a bean
type or a bean token?”.
ZerkonXXXX
> Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.
>
> In one sense of ‘word’ we may count three different words
Or in all sense of the words we say it is a thought is a thought is a
thought.