Medieval Terminist Logic

Origin. 13th-14th century. William of Sherwood, Peter of Spain, Ockham. Properties of terms. Supposition theory. Foundation of medieval semantics.

Models. Terms have properties in propositions. Supposition: what term stands for. Ampliation, restriction, appellation. Context-sensitive reference.

Formalism.

Properties of terms: significatio: meaning (out of context). suppositio: reference (in context). copulatio: for adjectives. appellatio: for connotative terms.

Supposition types: Proper supposition: for what term signifies. Material: for word itself ("'homo' has four letters"). Simple: for universal ("homo is a species"). Personal: for individuals ("homo currit").

Personal supposition divisions: Discrete: singular term (Socrates). Common: general term (homo). Determinate: at least one (aliquis homo). Confused: every/any (omnis homo).

Distributive vs merely confused: Distributive: descent to singulars with "and." "Every man runs" → Socrates runs and Plato runs and... Merely confused: descent with "or." "Socrates sees every man" → ...sees this man or that man or...

Ampliation: Term's supposition extended beyond present. "A man can be Antichrist." Future individuals included. Modal and temporal contexts.

Restriction: Term's supposition narrowed. Adjectives restrict. "White man" = man who is white. Contextual limitation.

Appellation: Connotative term's secondary reference. "Father" appellates son. Two-place reference.

Symbols.

Term	Latin	Meaning
suppositio	suppositio	standing for
significatio	significatio	signification
ampliatio	ampliatio	widening
restrictio	restrictio	narrowing

Metatheory. Term properties. Context-sensitive reference. Supposition theory. Quantifier scope.

Applies to. Medieval logic. Philosophy of language. Semantics history. Reference theory.

Limitations. Historical period. Latin context. Reconstruction debates. Technical vocabulary.