Return to Aristotle, On Interpretation
1. First affirmation, then negation, is one enunciative speech. All the rest are considered one by conjunction.
2. It is necessary, however, that all enunciative speech should be from a verb, or from a case of a verb. For the definition of “man” is not yet enunciative speech, until “is” or “was”, or “will be”, or something of this kind is added.
3. Why, therefore, is the spoken phrase “a terrestrial biped animal” said to signify one thing, and not a number of things? For it will not be considered one expression simply because the words are spoken together–to speak of this, however, pertains to another subject of study.
4. But enunciative speech is one either when spoken to signify a single thing, or when it is considered one through conjunction; but the are multiple enunciative sentences which signify many things (and not one thing), or which are without conjunction.
5. Let therefore, a noun or a verb be understood to be a word only; since it cannot be said that he who signifies anything by articulate sound, enunciates, either when he is interrogated by someone or speaks from deliberate intention. But of these, one, indeed, is a simple enunciation, as, for instance, something is affirmed of a subject, or something is denied of a subject; but another is composed from these, as a certain sentence which is now composite enunciation.
6. Simple enunciation is sound significant about something being inherent, or not being inherent, according as times are divided.
Return to Aristotle, On Interpretation
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