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
[email protected]@gmail.com