iso tc 37 standards basic principles of terminology networked knowledge organization...

ISO TC 37 StandardsBasic Principles of Terminology

Networked Knowledge Organization Systems/Services

NKOS Sue Ellen Wright

Institute for Applied Linguistics, Kent State University

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Standards for the Language Industry

Translation & localization, multilingual text representation, Internet content, multilingual content management

See: http://appling.kent.edu/ResourcePages/LTStandards/Chart/LanguageTechnologyStandards.htm

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ISO TC 37 Terminology and other Language Resources

Standards for the basic principles of terminology management

Standards for layout and lexicography Standards for computerized terminology

management Standards for natural language processing

applications Metadata registry for all of the above

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Language Codes

ISO 639:1988 Code for the representation of names of languages

ISO 639-2:1998 Code for the representation of names of languages - Part 2: Alpha-3 code

ISO CD 639-3:2003 Code for the representation of names of languages - Part 3: Alpha-3 code for comprehensive coverage of languages

ISO NWI 639-4:2003 Code for the representation of names of languages - Part 4: Implementation guidelines and general principles for language coding

ISO NWI 639-5:2003 Code for the representation of names of languages - Part 5: Alpha-3 code for language families and groups

ISO NWI 639-6:2003 Code for the representation of names of languages - Part 6: Alpha-4 code [for dialects]

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Core TC 37 Standards

ISO 704:2000 Terminology work - Principles and methods

ISO 860:1996 Terminology work - Harmonization of concepts and terms

ISO 1087-1:2000 Terminology work - Vocabulary - Part 1: Theory and application

ISO 1087-2:2000 Terminology work - Vocabulary - Part 2: Computer applications

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Terminological View

Objects perceived or conceived, concrete or abstract abstracted or conceptualized into concepts

Concepts depict or correspond to a set of objects based on a

defined set of characteristics represented or expressed in language by designations or

by definitions organized into concept systems

Designations represented as terms, names (appellations) or symbols designate or represent a concept attributed to a concept by consensus within a special

language community

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Fundamental Activities

Identifying concepts and concept relations; Analyzing and modeling concept systems on the

basis of identified concepts and concept relations; Establishing representations of concept systems

through concept diagrams; Crafting concept-oriented definitions; Attributing designations (predominantly terms) to

each concept in one or more languages; and, Recording and presenting terminological data,

principally in terminological entries stored in print and electronic media (terminography).

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Frege, Peirce, Ogden & Richards

Unit of Thinking (Concept)

Designation (Symbol, Sign,Term, Formulaetc.)

Referent(Concrete Object,Real Thing,Conceived Object)

(Unit of Thought, Unit of Knowledge)

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A Concept

A mental image used for thinking & communication

Question of psychological primes and prototypes

Conditioned by: Language & culture Individual point of view & experience Time, space The blind man and the elephant

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Properties and characteristics

Property: any quality, attribute, or feature of an object

Characteristic: essential features that determine the identify of the concept associated with the object

The significance of properties varies with:

The object in question, its functionPoint of view

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Characteristics

Characteristics used for: Analyzing concepts Modelling concept systems Formulating definitions Forming designations.

Essential characteristics Comprise the intension of the concept

Delimiting characteristics Characteristic that distinguishes the concept

from related concepts

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Properties vs. Characteristics

object/visual representation

one of the set of all lead pencils (extension)

concept: designation

abstraction (term):

based on: lead pencil

category

level of

abstraction

composition

colour

composition

shape

usage

medium

function

property

concreteness

made of a long, thin piece of graphite

wood casing surrounds graphite

casing is yellow

at one end there is an eraser

other end sharpened to a point

graphite&casing sharpened for use

graphite is writing medium

used for writing or making marks

characteristic

concreteness

graphite core

graphite core is encased in wood

casing may be any colour

one end may have an eraser

one end may be sharpened to a point

graphite & casing sharpened for use

graphite is writing medium

used for making marks

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Concept Relations

hierarchical relations superordinate concept + subordinate

concepts generic relations

generic concept + specific concepts partitive relations

comprehensive concept + partitive concepts

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Concept Relations

raw material – product action - equipment/tool

material - property material - state

concrete item - shape matter/substance

concrete item - material target, action

quantity - unit action. typical agent

place/location action - actor

associative relations

Compare: related term

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Modeling Concept Systems

Select the concept field, the preliminary designations and concepts to be treated by taking into account the subject field, the user group and its needs.

Analyze the intension and extension of each concept. Determine the relation and position of these concepts

within the concept system. Formulate and evaluate definitions for the concepts

based on the concept relations. Attribute designations [terms or other forms of

representation] to each concept.

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Tree Diagram (Generic)

plant1

bush1.1tree

1.2

floweringplant1.3

evergreen1.2.1 deciduous

1.2.2

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Bracket Diagram (Partitive)

Limited in its representational scope Difficult to include details

Not widely accepted in the US Useful for representing mixed generic /

meronymic systems

tree (comprehensive concept)

crown branch twig roottrunk core sapwoodbark

(partitive concepts)

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Concept Systems & Thesauri

Broader term

Hypernym

Parent

Superordinate concept

Narrower term

Hyponym

Child

Subordinate concept

Sibling Coordinate Concept

Use / Use for Preferred / Deprecated

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Significant Differences

Principle of term autonomy: although some terms may be identified as preferred or deprecated, there is no assignment of synonyms or related words to a “use/use for” system as in controlled vocabularies. All terms are defined with the same degree of detail.

Terms qualified with respect to term status: Preferred terms Admitted terms Deprecated terms Obsolete terms

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Terminological Entry

Term

ConceptTerm

Term

Term

TermTerm

(All terms associated with a single concept; compare to concept of the synonym ring, + multilingual equivalents.)

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Terminological Entry

rattle Subject Field: snakes Definition: The tail structure of the poisonous

North American genera Crotalus and Sisturus which has been modified into a series of horny, loose-fitting structures that produce a buzzing sound when vibrated.

Equivalent terms (other languages) ...

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Form of Definitions

Preferably intentional definitions The statement of a superordinate or broader concept

followed by a statement of the essential characteristics making up the intension of the concept, with emphasis on the delimiting characteristic(s) that differentiate that concept from similar concepts

Always defined with reference to a specific subject field

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Intensional Definitions

plant (superordinate concept; generic concept)A living thing which grows in earth, in water or on other plants. Note: It usually has a stem, leaves, roots and flowers and produces seeds and can make its own food. Trees are plants, but the word is mainly used for those

plants which are smaller than trees. 

tree (subordinate concept; specific concept) A tall plant which has a wooden trunk and branches that grow from its upper part

bush (subordinate concept; specific concept) A plant with many small branches growing either directly from the

ground or from a hard woody stem, giving the plant a rounded shape 

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An Implied Sentence

Implied Impliedsubject: verb (copula):

[An account is] a user ID and disk area restricted for the use of a particular person, which is usually password protected.(The definition itself is a predicate.Note: DIN allows for the repetition of the subject within the definition.)

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Components of the Definition

Subject (the designation) The term as an implied subject

Copula In place of the implied verb “is” Colon, dash, carriage return

Predicate Statement of genus & listing of essential

and delimiting characteristics

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Leveraging ontological information from terminology resources

Using the concept of well-formed definitions to use automatic parsing routines for: Compilation of intelligent enhanced corpora (marking up

intelligent, intranet-bounded corpora) Information extraction Terminology mining Automatically creating draft concept systems Leveraging back and forth across different kinds of

information resources: terminological concept systems, thesauri, taxonomies, and rule-based ontologies

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For More Information

Sue Ellen WrightInstitute for Applied Linguistics

Kent State University109 Satterfield Hall

Kent, Ohio 44242, USA

sewright@neo.rr.comsellenwright@gmail.com