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Names must be distinguished the one from the other according to their significations,
of which there are the following classifications:--
(1)
GENARAL and SINGULAR names.
(2)
CONCRETE and ABSTRACT names.
(3)
CONNOTATIVE and NON-CONNOTATIVE names.
(4)
POSITIVE and NEGATIVE names.
(5)
RELATIVE and ABSOLUTE names.
(6)
UNIVOCAL and EQUIVOCAL names.
"All names are names of something, real or imaginary; but all things have not names
appropriated to them individually."
While persons, remarkable places and events have their distinguishing or singular
names, there is a multitude of common objects or ideas to which we give a general name.
For example, "book" is a general name; but if I wish to designate a particular book I
must either put together several names, as "This book", or "This red book", etc., or use
a singular name as "The Bible", "The Berean Expositor", etc.
"A general name is familiarly defined, a name which is capable of being truly
affirmed, in the same sense, of each of an indefinite number of things. An individual or
singular name is a name which is only capable of being truly affirmed, in the same sense,
of one thing."
"In the same sense."--How needful it is before we attempt to teach the truth of
God's Word that we discover the "sense" of its words, names or ideas, and then adhere
closely to it. What havoc has been caused by a failure to define beforehand, and to
adhere afterwards, to such terms as "divine", "sin", "faith", "all", etc.
The second division of names is into those which are concrete and those which are
abstract:--
"A concrete name is a name that stands for a thing: an abstract name is a name which
stands for an attribute of a thing."
Thus "Scripture" is concrete, while "holy", being an attribute, is abstract. We will not
spend time over this obvious division of names, particularly as the next one demands
more care and attention, viz., connotative and non-connotative names:--
"The word `connote' comes from notare, `to mark'; connotare `to mark along with;
to mark one thing with or in addition to another'."
"A connotative term is one which denotes a subject and implies an attribute. Thus
John, or London, or England, are names which signify a subject only. Whiteness, length,
virtue, signify an attribute only. None of these names, therefore, is connotative. But,
white, long, virtuous, are connotative, for they denote a subject and imply an attribute."
Concrete and general names are connotative. Take for instance the word "man". It
may denote the Editor of this magazine, the reader, or a number of individuals that form a
definite class:--