What is "typology"

Typology \Ty*pol"o*gy\, n. [Type + -logy.]

1. (Theol.) A discourse or treatise on types.

2. (Theol.) The doctrine of types.

"doctrine of symbols," 1845, from Greek typos (see type (n.)) + -logy. Related: Typological; typologically.

n. 1 the systematic classification of the types of something according to their common characteristics 2 (context archaeology English) the result of the classification of things according to their characteristics 3 (context linguistics English) classification of languages according to their linguistic trait (as opposed to historical families like romance languages)

n. classification according to general type

Typology is the study of types. Typology may refer to:

• Blanchard's transsexualism typology, a classification of male-to-female transsexualism
• Farm typology, farm classification by the USDA
• Linguistic Typology, an international peer-reviewed journal in the field of linguistic typology
• Milewski's typology, a language classification system
• Morphological typology, in linguistics, a method of classifying languages
• Oakeshott typology, a classification of the medieval sword
• Pavlov's typology, the first systematic approach to the psychophysiology of individual differences
• Psychological typologies, classifications used by psychologists to describe the distinctions between people
• Sasang typology, traditional Korean medical typology
• Sociopolitical typology, four types, or levels, of a political organization
• Typology (anthropology), division of culture by races
• Typology (archaeology), classification of artifacts according to their characteristics
• Typology (linguistics), study and classification of languages according to their structural features
• Typology (psychology), a model of personality types
• Typology (statistics), a concept in statistics, research design and social sciences
• Typology (theology), in Christian theology, the interpretation of some figures and events in the Old Testament as foreshadowing the New Testament
• Typology (urban planning and architecture), the classification of characteristics common to buildings or urban spaces

Typology in Christian theology and Biblical exegesis is a doctrine or theory concerning the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Events, persons, or statements in the Old Testament are seen as types pre-figuring or superseded by antitypes, events or aspects of Christ or his revelation described in the New Testament. For example, Jonah may be seen as the type of Christ in that he emerged from the fish's belly and thus appeared to rise from death. In the fullest version of the theory of typology, the whole purpose of the Old Testament is viewed as merely the provision of types for Christ, the antitype or fulfillment. The theory began in the Early Church, was at its most influential in the High Middle Ages, and continued to be popular, especially in Calvinism, after the Protestant Reformation, but in subsequent periods has been given less emphasis. One exception to this is the Christian Brethren of the 19th and 20th centuries, where typology was much favoured and the subject of numerous books. Notably, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, typology is still a common and frequent exegetical tool, mainly due to that church's great emphasis on continuity in doctrinal presentation through all historical periods. Typology was frequently used in early Christian art, where type and antitype would be depicted in contrasting positions. The usage of the terminology has expanded into the secular sphere; for example, " Geoffrey de Montbray (d.1093), Bishop of Coutances, a right-hand man of William the Conqueror, was a type of the great feudal prelate, warrior and administrator".

Typology is a composite measure that involves the classification of observations in terms of their attributes on multiple variables. Such classification is usually done on a nominal scale.

An example of a typology would be classification such as by age and health: young-healthy, young-sick, old-healthy, old-sick.

In archaeology a typology is the result of the classification of things according to their physical characteristics. The products of the classification, i.e. the classes, are also called types. Most archaeological typologies organize portable artifacts into types, but typologies of larger structures, including buildings, field monuments, fortifications or roads, are equally possible. A typology helps to manage a large mass of archaeological data. According to Doran and Hodson, "this superficially straightforward task has proved one of the most time consuming and contentious aspects of archaeological research".

Typology (in urban planning and architecture) is the taxonomic classification of (usually physical) characteristics commonly found in buildings and urban places, according to their association with different categories, such as intensity of development (from natural or rural to highly urban), degrees of formality, and school of thought (for example, modernist or traditional). Individual characteristics form patterns. Patterns relate elements hierarchically across physical scales (from small details to large systems).

The following is an example of a set of characteristics with typological associations:
Single-family detached homes set well back from a street on large lots (about, one-fifth acre to two or more acres) and surrounded by mowed lawns with naturalistic ornamental plantings of trees and shrubs are associated typologically with North American suburban places.
Single-family residences that come all the way forward on an individual lot so that the front of the building is coincident with front lot line, or which are set back only a few feet to accommodate a lightwell or front entry stoop, are associated typologically with highly urbanized places in North America.

An emphasis on typology is characteristic of New Urbanism. New Urbanists believe it is important to match the physical development characteristics of a place within the appropriate typology for that place, as determined by local preferences taken in context with urban patterns as evidenced throughout history. Modernists, in keeping with their general disinclination to keep within the constraints of tradition and hierarchies of patterns, are less likely to focus on identifying the correct typology of a site.