Were early carriers light fleet carriers?

Wouldn't many early carriers be classified as light fleet carriers?

In functional terms, some fit the later light-fleet role, but contemporary navies generally called them carriers or fleet carriers; the role distinction existed before the formal label became common in World War II.

Historical naming needs to be separated from analytical classification. Smaller interwar carriers often had the limited mission capacity later associated with light fleet carriers, while ships such as Akagi, Lexington, and Courageous sat toward the larger fleet-carrier end. Applying the later term can clarify their jobs, provided it is not mistaken for the terminology used at the time. This allows functions to be compared across eras without projecting later official categories backward.