Predicaten

Predicaten is a term that appears in some linguistic and philosophical writings as a plural form of predicate. It is not a standard term in most contemporary English discussions, where the plural predication or predicates is ordinarily used. The form predicaten can reflect influences from German or Dutch linguistic terminology, where similar plural forms are common. In English-language logic and linguistics, readers are more likely to encounter the word predicates rather than predicaten.

In logic, a predicaten denotes a property or a relation that can be ascribed to one or more arguments. Predicaten are the functional components that, when applied to arguments, yield truth-valued statements. For example, in first-order logic the unary predicate P(x) asserts a property of x, while the binary predicate R(x,y) asserts a relation between x and y. The study of predicaten involves their arity, scope, and how they compose to form complex formulas within a logical system.

In linguistics, predicaten refer to the predicate part of a sentence. This includes the main verb or verb phrase and any complements that complete its meaning, expressing what is said about the subject. The subject-and-predicate structure is a central concern in syntax, semantics, and typology, with cross-linguistic variation in how predicates are encoded and expressed.

Examples include the unary predicaten is tall in The man is tall, and the binary predicaten loves in Alice loves Bob. Predicaten are distinguished from subjects and from predication processes that link predicates to subjects.

See also: predicate, predicate logic, predication, predicative.