Major Replace the previous section 2.3 with this re-written content:
To “type” something is to declare something as sharing similar characteristics to things that went before it. If those characteristics create a classification, whether formally or informally, then a “type” is declared. One can then use a type in a sentence (i.e. “an object of type X”, or more commonly, “an X object”). This understanding is the basis for how “typing” works in any system.
For example, using a term like “apple pie”. The object of interest is a pie classified as being of type apple (as compared to other pies). The same concept exists when using a term like “hot pie”, the object of interest is still a pie but this time classified as being of type hot.
Both typing schemes in this example serve a purpose, but the type classification “apple” is more substantial than the type classification “hot”, as “hot” is open to wider opinion and interpretation. The difference extends from “apple” being a word that is able to describe another thing (a noun), whereas the word “hot” does not. The word “hot”, as used here, is simply a qualitative modifier (an adjective) that describes some quality of the object. This distinction is important.
When a noun functions as a type, like “apple” does in “apple pie”, it is referred to as a noun adjunct. Noun adjuncts are not the object in a sentence and only serve to modify another noun. Adjuncts as types generally make for easier type comparisons with other types as opposed to adjectives. For example, “apple” compared to “berry”, is an easier comparison to react to as opposed to “hot” when compared to “warm”. Comparing adjectives is more subjective. Typing strategies focusing more on noun adjuncts, and less on qualitative modifiers, often make comparisons easier to interpret.
Furthermore, as an additional advantage, noun adjuncts can have their own modifiers. For example, “red”, which is a modifier for “apple”, leading to the combination “red apple”, which is a more narrowly defined multi-word modifier for “pie”. Multi-word modifiers improve the precision of types, but conversely can also grow in number if left unchecked. Overuse can lead to lists too large to be manageable or effective.
This interpretation of type will figure prominently in this document.