copula

grammar and logic

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June 24, 2026

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In grammar, a copula is a word that connects a subject to its predicate, often functioning as a linking verb. In logic, it serves as the connecting link between the subject and predicate of a proposition. The term "copulative" relates to this function, describing words or conjunctions that join elements together. For example, in the sentence "The sky is blue," "is" acts as the copula, linking "sky" (subject) to "blue" (predicate). This grammatical concept is fundamental to constructing meaningful statements and understanding logical relationships.123

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history of logic
Categorical forms
…(2) a subject, (3) a copula, (4) perhaps a negation (“not”), (5) a predicate. Propositions analyzable in this way were later called categorical propositions and fall into one or another of the following forms:
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…(2) a subject, (3) a copula, (4) perhaps a negation (“not”), (5) a predicate. Propositions analyzable in this way were later called categorical propositions and fall into one or another of the following forms:
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formal logic
Special systems of LPC
The word “is” is not always used in the same way. In a proposition such as (1) “Socrates is snub-nosed,” the expression preceding the “is” names an individual and the expression following it stands for a property attributed to that individual. But, in a proposition such as…
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The word “is” is not always used in the same way. In a proposition such as (1) “Socrates is snub-nosed,” the expression preceding the “is” names an individual and the expression following it stands for a property attributed to that individual. But, in a proposition such as…
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Uralic languages
The verb be
…Sami the use of a copula verb is obligatory, in Permic it is optional, and in Hungarian the copula is absent only in the third person (“he, she”) in a nonpast tense.
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…Sami the use of a copula verb is obligatory, in Permic it is optional, and in Hungarian the copula is absent only in the third person (“he, she”) in a nonpast tense.
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