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DEFINITION 121 DEFINITION 121
examples, (c) physical description, (d) statistics, and (e) personal
experience. Details and anecdotes often fail to develop the topic sentence of a paragraph of stipulated definition.
A special technique of support frequently used in a paragraph of stipulated definition is the use of "quotations." Quotations are word-for- word reproductions of statements from written or spoken sources. The sources from which you quote should be authoritative. A source is said to be authoritative when it has special expertise in relation to the term being defined. For example, if you are defining politics, George W. Bush can be an authoritative source for quotations. By the same token, when you are writing about philosophy, Aristotle, Plato, or other philosophers can be authoritative sources of quotations.
In the following model paragraph, the writer is using the term poverty in
a sense other than its agreed-upon interpretation.
The present concept of poverty in I ran needs to be replaced by destitution. Presently, many people take poverty to mean the condition in which there is a lack of basic human needs. That is, poverty is defined to include a lack of such items as adequate and nutritious food, clothing, housing, clean water, and health services. I t can cause terrible suffering and death. I t can even prevent people from realizing many of their desires. The poor, with this conception of poverty, are those who suffer from severe malnutrition, epidemic disease outbreaks, famine, and war. However, a line should be drawn between poverty and destitution. I n many countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, and those in Western Europe, poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within the society or country. As such, the present concept of poverty in I ran needs to be replaced with destitution.
After having read this paragraph, you may become disappointed. You may think that paragraphs of stipulated definition are impossible for you to write, but do not panic. Paragraphs of stipulated definition could be quite easy for you to write. Take the following model paragraph.
I n Greek mythology, Muses are the nine daughters of the god Zeus and of Mnemosyne. Zeus was the king of the gods; Mnemosyne was the goddess
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As you see, like extended formal definition, the writer has used the sequence (term + class + distinctive features) to form his topic sentence. He has then used details as the major technique of support to develop his topic sentence. Therefore, what distinguishes between stipulated and formal definitions is the nature of the term to be defined. When the term is abstract, the definition is stipulated; when the term is concrete, the definition is formal.
EXERCI SE
1. Read the paragraphs below and answer the questions that follow each
paragraph.
I ntelligence may be best defined as the ability to get everything out of nothing. I n formal usage, intelligence is a term which is usually used to refer to a set of general mental capabilities. These capabilities include the ability to reason, to solve problems, think abstractly, learn and understand new material, and profit from past experience. I ntelligence can be measured by many different kinds of tasks. Likewise, this ability is expressed in many aspects of a person’s life. I ntelligence draws on a variety of mental processes, including memory, learning, perception, decision-making, thinking, and reasoning. However, the most essential type of intelligence, I would argue, is the ability to get most benefits out of the conditions in which one has to live. I n recent years, many people have
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Questions
1. Why is this interpretation of intelligence a stipulated definition rather than a formal definition?
2. What is the topic sentence?
3. What techniques of support has the writer used for the development of the topic sentence?
A kachina is a spirit or supernatural being revered as a bringer of rain or social good in the religion of some I ndian tribes of the southwestern United States. There are more than 200 kachinas, including ancestral and nature spirits and a variety of gods. They are impersonated in religious ceremonies by dancers wearing sacred masks and are also portrayed in beautifully carved and painted figurines known as kachina dolls. Kachinas play an important role in Pueblo rain dances and other religious rites. The spirits of the kachinas are believed to possess the male dancers who impersonate them in these ceremonies with elaborately fashioned masks and colorful costumes. These impersonators also mingle with the people in the streets, often administering public scoldings to individuals whose behavior the community regards as inappropriate. The Pueblo believe that in ancient times the kachinas lived on earth but were sent to live in the bottom of a great desert lake and left their masks behind. At first, the legend states, the kachinas themselves returned from time to time to dance for the people, but after the dance a member of the community always died, or “left with the kachina,” as it was said. Finally agreeing to come no more, the kachinas authorized dancers to take over their ritual roles. When not using them in ceremony, the Pueblo keep the masks hidden, especially from young children, who are told that the kachinas they have seen in rituals are genuine spirits that will punish them for misbehavior. Only later is the secret of the kachina masks revealed to the children in a solemn initiation rite. Kachina dolls, patterned after the masked dancers, range in size from several inches to more than one foot in height. The craftsmen who make them typically carve the dolls from cottonwood or cactus-root, paint them in symbolic colors, and often
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Questions
1. Why is this interpretation of Kachina a stipulated definition rather than a formal definition?
2. What is the topic sentence?
3. What techniques of support has the writer used for the development of the topic sentence?
4. Are there any sentences in the paragraph that can be deleted from it?
5. Is it possible to take any paragraphs of formal definition out of this single paragraph? If so, how many? What term(s) would this/these paragraph(s) formally define?
6. If your answer to question 5 is positive, write the paragraph(s) of formal definition that you can get out of the paragraph above.