Triplets in words

Citation

Irmay, S. (2003), "Triplets in words", Kybernetes, Vol. 32 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.2003.06732daf.001

Triplets in words

Triplets in words

Shragga IrmayFaculty of Civil Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

Keywords: Cognition, Cybernetics

Abstract Varieties of a general concept, differing only in their type, property, quality, amount, size, order or intensity are in general encountered in triplets. A triplet is often expressed by two extreme or contradictory concepts and an intermediate one, e.g. acceptable, average, intermediate, medium, mean, moderate, ordinary, plain, regular and usual. This represents the fact that we live in a three-dimensional space, brought to our cognition through the mechanism of the internal ear or the vision by means of our two eyes. Examples are given in grammar, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, arts, army, architecture, physiology, society, geography, philosophy, etc.

It is quite common to encounter the varieties of a general concept, differing in their type, property, quality, amount, size, order or intensity.

For example, the concept of Extension in Space, if a body is expressed by three such words: Length, Width (Breadth), Height (Depth). These represent the fact that we live in a three-dimensional space.

The amount of extension is represented quantitatively by: Volume, Area, Length. The type of extension is represented by: Body, Surface, Line. Classification by order of magnitude is expressed by: Microscopic, Mesoscopic, Macroscopic, or by: Plus (+), Zero(0), Minus (2). Here the effect of three- dimensionality is indirect.

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  In Physics we have: Solid, Liquid, Gas (Vapor);

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  In Chemistry we have: Acid, Base, Salt;

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  In Biology we have: Male (Father), Female (Mother), Offspring (Child), or Root, Trunk (Stalk), Branch (Leaf);

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  In the Military we have: the Army, Navy, Airforce;

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  In Grammar we have: First, Second, Third (Person), or Past, Present, Future;

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  Examples of general concepts: Nice (Beautiful), Ugly, Plain; or Principal, Teacher (Instructor), Student (Pupil);A House has: Roof, Walls, Foundation, or Attic, Apartment, Basement;

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  Many families of concepts consist of two extreme contraries with a third intermediate term containing one of the words, e.g.: Acceptable, Average, Intermediate, Medium, Mean, Moderate, Ordinary, Plain, Regular, Usual.

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  For example:      Giant, Dwarf, Average;Quick (Rapid), Slow, Moderate;      Right, Left, Here;Wise, Foolish, Ordinary;      Heavy, Light, Medium; Plain Beautiful, Ugly, Plain;

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  Hebrew Grammar, and in part also other Semitic languages, show numerous triplets, e.g.: Triliteral Verb Roots, Pointing, Verbal Forms.

Table I Shows an alphabetic list of triplets: Triplets in words (Alphabetical list)

above, below, uponabove, under, inaccelerated (speed-up), decelerated (slowed), uniform (steady)accepted, rejected, problematicacid, base, saltactive, passive, reflexive verbacute, straight, obtuse angleair, water (sea), soil (land)angry, joyous, satisfiedanimate, plant, inanimatearithmetic, geometric, harmonic mean (progression)armored, motorized, commando-elite infantryArmy, Navy, AirforceArmy = 3 corps = 3£3 divisionsat least, at most, exactly (at random)attic, apartment (rooms), basement (cellar)attraction, repulsion, neutralitya+b, a.·b, aba2b, a/b, a1/ba, i, u = basic Semitic vowelsbeautiful (nice, pretty), ugly, plainbefore, after, nowbefore, behind, inbirth, life, deathblack, white, greybody, surface, linebone, flesh, blood (skin)brigade = 3 battalionsbrigadier general, major general, lieutenant generalcell, nucleus, chromosomecoal, graphite, diamondcoarse, fine, mediumcompose, decompose, separatecomposition, decomposition, separationcompound, mixture, solutionconsonant, vowel, punctuation mark (diacritic mark)continuous, discrete, intermittent (discontinuous)convergent, divergent, constant (coinciding)convex, concave, planecore, magma, mantlecorrect, wrong, approximatecruel, benign, ordinarycultivated, uncultivated, uncultivable landcybernetic, psychologic, by economic information warfaredark, bright, matdear (expensive), cheap, regulardegree, minute, second of arcdesired, undesired, indifferentdifferent, similar, identicaldirector (head), secretary, clerkdistant (far), near, hereearly, late, on timeelectronic, command-and-control, against intelligence system warfareenter, leave, stay (remain)everything, nothing, somethingeverywhere, nowhere, somewhereexcess (surplus), deficit, balanceface, side, vertexfather, mother, childfirst, second, third personflow, creep, stopform, size, state of surface (color)giant, dwarf, averagehappy, sad (unhappy), indifferenthe, she, ithead, torso (body), feet (wings)head (ruler, king, president), parliament (senate), representatives (senators)healthy, sick (ill), weak (sickly)heavy, light, ordinary (usually, medium)here, there, somewhere (anywhere)high, low, normal temperaturehorizontal, vertical, inclined (sloping)

hour, minute, secondhot (warm), cold, lukewarm (temperate)ice, water, steam (vapor)incident, refracted (diffracted), diffuse (deflected)included, excluded, touching (in contact)increasing, decreasing, stationary (constant)industrious, lazy, ordinaryinflated, deflated, flatiron, steel, cast ironjoin, separate, touchjunior, intermediate, seniorlarge (big, great), small (little), medium (mean, average)larger, smaller, equalleaf, flower, fruitlength, width (thickness), height (depth)lepton, boson, photonletter, pointing in Hebrew, punctuationlight, darkness, shadowlong, wide (broad, thick), high (deep)love, hate, indifferencemale, female, sexlessmaximal, minimal, constantmaximum, minimum, optimum (inflexion point)meet, parallel, cross – two linesmicroscopic, mesoscopic, macroscopicmobile, static, regular warfare3 monkeys: don’t see, don’t speak, don’t hearmountain, valley, plane (lowland)move, less, exactlyold, mature, youngopaque, transparent, translucentoverheat, underheat, heatoverpay, underpay, pay justoversize, undersize, sizepast, present, futureperpendicular, parallel, oblique (crossing)plentiful, rare (scarce), sufficientplus (+), minus (–), zero (0)polar angle, altitude (height), azimuthpositively, negatively, neutrally chargedprefix, suffix, infixprincipal (headmaster), teacher, student (pupil)prominent, depressed, straight (plane, smooth)question mark, exclamation mark, indicating marksreligious, atheist, agnosticright, left, here (middle)rising, descending, stationaryroof, walls, foundationrun, fly, creep (swim)seat, back, arms of a chairsentence, word, lettershell, flesh, kernel of fruitsingular, dual, pluralskin, flesh, bonessolid, liquid, gas (vapor)steady, unsteady, labile (neutral) equilibriumsubstantive, verb, determinersun, moon, starssymmetry, antisymmetry, asymmetrythesis, antithesis, synthesisthis, that, somewhat (somebody)top, bottom, sidetroposphere, stratosphere, ionospheretwisted, curved, straightUS Marine, US Coastguard, Naval Aviationweight, temperature, state of surface (color)wise, foolish, ordinary (normal)year, month, dayyes, no, otheryesterday, today, tomorrow

Shragga IrmayEmeritus Professor of the Technion and member of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, Jerusalem.