Wiktionary's definition of "open" as a noun includes two that say:
What is that "(with the)" called? It's not a scope, is it?
Note that I know it means to use "open" with "the" before it, as in "the open". I'm asking what one would call that usage.
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2The dictionary is trying to use one definition to cover two uses of open. One is the attributive use open sore, open door, open mind; that's what they mean by "with the". An open sore is a sore with open space, an open door is a door with open space, an open mind is a mind with open space. The other use is the predicative use, which means it's a predicate adjective. The door/sore/mind is open. No "with the" necessary. Dictionaries don't tell you about grammar; only special idioms.– John LawlerCommented Aug 11, 2014 at 3:09
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@JohnLawler so, "attributive"?– Ky -Commented Aug 11, 2014 at 3:34
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6@JohnLawler- The way I read the definition: (with the) literally means when used with "the" as in "the open". for example The men had nowhere to hide; they were out in the open. Which does indeed mean open or unobstructed space; an exposed position. Similarly: Snowden's actions put many secret projects out in the open. So to answer OP- I'd call it a context specifier.– JimCommented Aug 11, 2014 at 5:38
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1@JohnLawler - that is not what the dictionary means. Both definitions are for the use of open as a simple, independent noun, not used attributively at all. "The secret is out in the open" and "We camped in the open" are the two uses meant, and they are not attributive.– oerkelensCommented Aug 11, 2014 at 7:25
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1Whee, John's human. Mind you, I read (past tense) the situation the way he did too: their 'the' should be in quotes. Good spot, @Jim.– Edwin AshworthCommented Aug 11, 2014 at 10:24
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4 Answers
Merriam-Webster refers to explanatory information that appears within a definition at the level of individual senses of the defined word as "an italicized label or guide phrase." Although the Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary's treatment of the noun open doesn't include "(with the)" or any other guide phrases, its handling of the adjective open includes several:
8 b (2) of a tone : produced by an open string or on a wind instrument by the lip without the use of slides, valves or keys ... 11 a (3): of a compound : having components separated by a space in writing or printing ... 12 a of an organ pipe : not stopped at the top b of a string on a musical instrument : not stopped by the finger ... 16 of punctuation : characterized by sparing use esp. of the comma 19 of a universe : having insufficient mass to halt expansion gravitationally
All of the italicized bits of the above block quotation are what MW calls "guide phrases." I suspect that the terminology is intentionally broad (and rather vague) to comprehend the many types of such explanatory information that a dictionary may need to use from time to time. In any case, Wiktionary's "(with the)" notation would certainly fall under the category of "guide phrase" in MW's terminology.
At another level, of course, you are free to call such explanatory information whatever you like. Context specifier, which Jim suggests in a comment beneath the poster's question, is one possibility; usage limiter and phrasal prerequisite and scope definer are others.
answered Aug 20, 2014 at 1:07
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I've been tentatively using "specifier". Would that work, too?– Ky -Commented Aug 20, 2014 at 3:01
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1I think a little more specificity helps, which is why I like Jim's two-word "context specifier." But I don't think that a relevant, widely accepted term exists, so you're free to use whatever wording you like best. Still, it's probably a good idea to define what you mean by your favored term the first time you use it. Commented Aug 20, 2014 at 3:06
You can call the the grammatical context for that particular sense of open. You'd say that sense X of open is of restricted distribution, and that the use of sense X requires a definite article in the noun phrase containing open. The doesn't have to strictly precede open, though. (You can say 'the great wide open.')
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@Supuhstar yeah, that's my answer. the term is more general than the specific case you bring up. 'context' in linguistics usually means the words, word-parts, sounds, etc., that reliably appear with some target usage.– user31341Commented Aug 20, 2014 at 3:52
I would call it a qualifier, as it qualifies the definition to say that it only applies in the specified scope.
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A qualifier does not bring in a new meaning that is distinct from or at variance with the original.– KrisCommented Aug 11, 2014 at 6:31
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(With the) simply means that the specified meaning of the noun open applies only when the definite article the is used. For example, the last meaning is used in the sentence the secret was out in the open. You can not use an open here.
A specific name for the "with the" construction that this specific dictionary uses, I don't know, but basically, both uses are idiomatic, which restricts the use to very specific contexts.
That said, the first definition (as in Australian Open), I can hardly imagine with an indefinite article (He won three Opens, really?). Only the second one (He found the open in the circuit_) would sound all right as he found an open in the circuit, but that is almost exclusively jargon.
answered Aug 11, 2014 at 7:30
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"open in the circuit" is not even jargon, it's plain ham/ignorant phrasing, because 'open' in that domain is short for 'open circuit.'– KrisCommented Aug 11, 2014 at 9:28
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@Kris - blame wiktionary :) I didn't mean to pretend I knew anything about electrotechnical jargon. Commented Aug 11, 2014 at 9:32
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1@Kris So you mean the sentence is short for He found an open circuit in the circuit ? That doesn't sound right. In this context, open refers to the break that causes the circuit to be open.– BarmarCommented Aug 11, 2014 at 14:58
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@Barmar Precisely what I meant: "That doesn't sound right." It's just not right. Read my comment again.– KrisCommented Aug 12, 2014 at 11:51
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And one up voter to the comment, too: What is the "break" that causes the circuit to open called?– KrisCommented Aug 12, 2014 at 11:52