type-token distinction

English

Noun

type-token distinction (plural type-token distinctions)

1. The distinction between a type of something and an instance of it, such as city and capital city (type of city) versus city and Paris (instance of a city). (It is the difference between (1) hypernym and hyponym and (2) class and instance.)

   Without the type-token distinction being made, some silly thinking can slip through.

2. An instance of this distinction being made.

   They're making several type-token distinctions in this paragraph.

Related terms

• type-token ratio

 

See also

• Wiktionary:Thesaurus § Classes and instances