We explain what a characteristic is and the differences between general, particular, essential, accessory, objective, subjective and more.
What is a feature?
The characteristics of an object, a person or any referent are those features, conditions or elements that are its own, recognizable and that serve to distinguish it of other similar references. Thus, for example, the characteristics of a dog include its color, its size, its breed, its behavior, its age and everything that helps us distinguish it from other animals.
The characteristic word comes from the union of the ancient Greek voice Kharax (“brand”) with the suffix -terwhich attributes him the status of agent. That is to say, a characteristic is something that “marks” a referent, which allows it to be distinguished from others.
The adjective characteristic or characteristic has the same meaning when we use it to say that something is typical of someone or something. For example, when we say that “the consumption of fried foods is characteristic of tropical gastronomy”, we are stating that the consumption of fried foods is a differential feature of tropical gastronomy, compared to the gastronomy of other regions of the world.
There are all kinds of characteristics, depending on what one is referring to. Some types can be:
General characteristics and particular characteristics
General characteristics are shared by the members of a group or category, while particular characteristics are specific to an individual or a smaller category within the first.
For example, we can say that dogs have general characteristics such as four legs, a snout with teeth, a dark nose, a tail at the end of a body covered with hair, and that they bark. These traits are general because any dog shares them with the rest of its species. On the other hand, if I want to refer to a specific type of dog, I will have to go to its particular characteristics, such as, for example, saying that poodles are small dogs, with curly, white fur, with a high-pitched bark and a tendency to be playful. In this, a poodle differs from the rest of the dogs that exist.
Essential features and accessory features
Essential characteristics are those that are fundamental or characteristic of a referent, that is, those that are related to its essence or its natural features. On the other hand, accessory characteristics are those that may or may not occur, without thereby altering the nature of the referent, that is, those that are less decisive.
For example, we can say that a ball is round, that it bounces off surfaces, and that it is made of rubber, all essential or main characteristics that determine that it is a ball and not another object, for example, a brick. On the other hand, the color of the ball is an accessory or secondary feature, which can perfectly coincide in the ball and the brick (orange) without both objects becoming part of the same category, that is, due to the simple fact If they are orange, neither the brick turns into a ball, nor the ball into a brick.
Objective characteristics and subjective characteristics
Objective characteristics are those that do not depend on the point of view or opinion of the observer, while subjective characteristics vary depending on how each person sees it.
For example, we can say that a dog is large, that it is gray, that it barks loudly, or that it is missing a hind leg, and any other observer will agree with us when observing the same dog, since these traits do not have to do with my personal opinion of the dog. These are objective characteristics. On the other hand, if I say that the same dog is beautiful, friendly or annoying, another observer may not agree with this assessment, since these are subjective characteristics.
Exterior features and interior features
The exterior characteristics are those that can be perceived with the naked eye, since they are superficial, while the interior ones require an internal examination, since they are deep.
For example, we can say that a book is thick, that it has hard covers, that it has a colorful cover, or that it is by this or that author and/or publisher. These are its exterior characteristics. On the other hand, what typeface it has, how many pages it has, what genre it belongs to or how it is structured is something that we can only find out by opening the book and reviewing its content.
Physical characteristics and psychological characteristics
Physical characteristics are those that have to do with the tangible aspects of a person or an item. On the other hand, psychological characteristics only describe the way people think and react.
For example, we can say that a person is tall or short, fat or skinny, muscular or not, blonde or redheaded or brunette, and we will be paying attention to their physical characteristics, that is, the shape of their body. On the other hand, if we talk about psychological, emotional or behavioral characteristics, we must refer to whether someone is kind or hostile, if he is participatory or apathetic, if he is honest or a liar, among other traits referring to his way of being and not his physical appearance.
These are just a few examples of possible types of features. Everything around us has notable characteristics, and the action of observing and determining the characteristics of an object or reference is called characterizing. Thus, when we characterize someone or something, what we are doing is determining its different types of traits.
Finally, they are synonymous with characteristic: trait, aspect, element, attribute, profile, quality, particularity and property.
Continue with: Description
References
- “Characteristic (disambiguation)” on Wikipedia.
- “Characteristic, ca” in the Dictionary of the Language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Radication of the word Characteristic” in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
