The Structure of a Language
Original term: The Structure of a Language | Chapter/location: 16 | Chapter start page in the English edition’s table of contents: 305
Definition and core idea
A pattern language is a network of related patterns. Completeness can refer both to covering spatial problems and relations and to responding to real needs and forces.
Explanation and elaboration
Large-scale patterns, such as the structure of a neighbourhood, create the setting for medium and small-scale patterns. To judge a language, ask whether it covers the important problems, whether the relations are clear, whether differences of context can be absorbed, and whether users’ experience can lead to revision.
Notes and limits of interpretation
Caution in attribution
The “morphological/functional completeness” pair in these notes is drawn from the underlying summary; how exactly these terms relate to the book’s own wording needs checking.
Relations to other concepts
Review questions
- What problem does this concept clarify?
- Which part is Alexander’s explicit claim and which part is analytical interpretation?
- What observations or evidence are needed to assess it in a real environment?