Talk:paradigm

Original meaning
I don't have time to look up the real story and flesh out definitions, but the current popular meaning of paradigm is at least secondary and probably tertiary to the original. Two earlier senses are the grammatical sense -- a word used to demonstrate a declension, conjugation or other inflection (I think), and the more general sense of a model to which to compare similar objects or people, whence the Kuhnian sense given here.

14 August 2004‎

Where’s the fourth meaning?
There seems to have been a fourth definition, which can still be found in the translations. Pathoschild’s cleanup removed it. I sort of think it is missing now. Hence rfc. henne 16:28, 3 January 2007 (UTC)


 * My cleanup merged the 'system of rules' definition into the 'way of thinking' definition, which was the same meaning in different words. The references do not have that meaning in two definitions either. I've removed the translation section for 'system of rules'; note that all the translated words were identical to those for 'way of thinking'. — {admin} Pathoschild 00:06, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Tea room discussion
I have this nice quote here, but I am unsure under which definition to put it. Seems to me it would justify an ‘Adjective’ section:


 * 1) * 2003, Nicholas Asher and Alex Lascarides, Logics of Conversation, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0 521 65058 5, p. 46
 * [Discourse Representation Theory] is a paradigm example of a dynamic semantic theory, […]

Can somebody make sure this finds its suitable place? Cheers! H. (talk) 09:35, 5 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Hmmm... paradigmatic might be better suited for the sentence, but nevertheless it seems just like a noun being used attributively. No drama. Pingku 18:13, 5 January 2009 (UTC)


 * As Pingku says, this is an example of attributive use of a noun. It does not require an additional part of speech section, since this is a regular feature of English grammar.  Witness: "computer table", "printer paper", "economics class", "refrigerator magnet", "soccer game", "train ticket", etc.  Practically any English noun can be used atributively in front of some other noun to create a compound expression, so this does not justify an Adjecitve section. --EncycloPetey 18:56, 5 January 2009 (UTC)

IPA pronunciation guide
I'ma educated native speaker of American English and I find IPA obfuscatory. Along w/ it I think should be included a guide for us hoi polloi, something like PARA-dime [rhymes w/ slime] or PARA-dim [rhymes w/ Kim.]74.60.161.158 17:21, 30 November 2014 (UTC)

Uh-huh. Well, I'm an educated speaker of English who lives in New England and I find IPA quite satisfactory for transcription purposes. Unlike the fauxnetic transcription system that you are suggesting, IPA doesn't cause trans-dialectal confusion when presented to someone.

Furthermore, there is an IPA pronunciation guide. See here. Tharthan (talk) 19:44, 30 November 2014 (UTC)