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Conceptual thinking and communication are performed using words, which are symbols for concepts. A concept is a classification, a grouping together of similar things into a mental unit. For example, the concept leopard refers to a class of animals possessing the same distinguishing characteristics. The abstract concept courage refers to a range of actions that involve standing up to a threat of some kind.
Concepts serve as file folders in the mind in which knowledge is stored for quick access and retrieval. Concepts are the tools for building conceptual knowledge. The more concepts one has formed, the more one can think and communicate with precision.
Building vocabulary means learning new words, which means forming new concepts and understanding the precise meaning of new words. The meaning is summarized by the definition. As with grammar, man had to invent the words that make up a language. Students will begin the vocabulary course by learning the most basic of the broadest genera for concepts, which are:
- Entities (things): rocks, dogs, trees, knives, families, etc.
- Actions (what things do): running, pushing, talking, organizing, etc.
- Qualities (characteristics of things or actions): tall, smart, carelessly, ruthlessly, etc.
- Relationships (how things are related): above, below, sister, employer, etc.
- States (the condition of things): old, clean, exhausted, defeated, etc.
- Mental phenomenon (occurs in the mind): memory, emotion, dream, thinking, etc.
For each new word (i.e., concept), the student will follow the proper method of forming a concept and formulating a definition. A proper definition has two parts: the genus and the differentia. The genus is the broader class to which the concept belongs; the genus of man is animal. The differentia is the characteristic that best distinguishes the concepts units from the units of other concepts in the same genus; the differentia of man is rational. Hence, the definition of man is: Man is the rational animal.
For each new concept taught, the student will follow the following method:
- Identify a range of concretes that are units of the concept.
- Identify the genus.
- Identify several existents of the same genus but different concepts.
- Identify one or more distinguishing characteristics.
- Identify the fundamental characteristic, which is the differentia.
- Formulate a preliminary definition.
- Check if the definition "works" on the examples.
- Establish the need for such a concept.
- Reduce the concept, along its hierarchy, to percepts.
- Use the word in a sentence that best conveys its meaning.
- Identify any synonyms and discuss "shades of differences" among synonyms.
- Identify any antonyms.
- Identify any Latin/Greek roots of the word.
Filing words according to Latin/Greek roots helps students easily recall their essential meaning as well as figure out the meaning of new words. Being able to recall synonyms helps students recall the word's meaning and proves very useful in writing when one is trying to pick the right word to use.
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