A typology is a way of dividing a big group of things into smaller groups, where each group is held together by qualities its members share. The word covers two things at once: the finished system of groups ('he proposed a typology of family structures' — here it is a countable noun, so 'a typology', 'three typologies'), and the activity of studying things this way ('typology is central to modern linguistics' — uncountable).

A typology類型學（一套分類系統） is a way of dividing a big group of things into smaller groups是把一大群東西分成幾個小群組的方法, where each group is held together by qualities its members share每個小群組靠成員共有的特質連在一起。The word這個字 covers two things at once同時涵蓋兩件事: the finished system of groups完成的那套分類系統 ('he proposed a typology of family structures'像「他提出了一套家庭結構的typology」 — here it is a countable noun這裡是可數名詞, so 'a typology', 'three typologies'所以可以說'a typology'、'three typologies'), and the activity of studying things this way以及用這種方式研究事物的這個活動本身 ('typology is central to modern linguistics'像「typology在現代語言學裡是核心」 — uncountable這裡是不可數)。

It is academic language. Linguists build typologies of languages, archaeologists of pottery and stone tools, sociologists of personalities and institutions, architects of building shapes.

It is academic language這是學術用語。Linguists build typologies of languages語言學家會建立語言的typologies, archaeologists of pottery and stone tools考古學家建立陶器和石器的, sociologists of personalities and institutions社會學家建立人格和制度的, architects of building shapes建築師則建立建築形式的。

What makes a typology different from a plain list is that the groups are meant to be useful — they should let you predict something about a new case once you know which group it belongs to.

What makes a typology different from a plain list讓typology跟一般清單不一樣的地方 is that the groups are meant to be useful在於這些分類是要有用的 — they should let you predict something about a new case它們應該能讓你預測一個新案例的某些特質 once you know which group it belongs to只要你知道它屬於哪一組。

Worth knowing: careful scholars distinguish a typology (groups made up in the mind first, then things sorted into them) from a taxonomy (groups discovered from the real differences between things, as in biology), though in everyday academic speech the two words often blur.

Worth knowing值得知道的是: careful scholars distinguish a typology嚴謹的學者會區分typology (groups made up in the mind first, then things sorted into them先在腦中構想出分類、再把東西歸類進去) from a taxonomy跟taxonomy（分類學）不同 (groups discovered from the real differences between things, as in biology後者的分類是從事物間真實的差異中發現的，就像生物學那樣), though in everyday academic speech the two words often blur不過在日常學術用語裡，這兩個字常常界線模糊。

In theology it has the separate sense of reading earlier scripture as a foreshadowing of later events.

In theology在神學裡 it has the separate sense它有另一個獨立的意思 of reading earlier scripture as a foreshadowing of later events就是把較早的經文解讀為對後來事件的預示。