Taxaurus Review: A Comical Perspective

a comical perspectiveTaxaurus Review Alice Redmond-Neal

yada yada yada What can you do about it? 2

"We are getting into semantics again. If we use words, there is a very grave danger they will be misinterpreted." -- H. R. Haldeman 3

Challenges Organize concepts logically Standardize vocabulary  Translate natural language words and phrases into common set of terms Show clear relationships between terms Enable coordination of terms  Mix and match combinations Provide multiple points of entry  Alternative expressions for a concept Not rocket science— just concepts, words, and relationships 5

Start with aknowledge organization system Complex,  Semantic network High value  Ontology  Thesaurus  Taxonomy  Controlled vocabulary  Synonym set/ring  Authority file Simple, Low value  Uncontrolled list 6

Authority Files Cover  People  Places  Things Examples  US Post Office Zip Codes List  US Post Office State Abbreviations List  Company Name List  Geographic Name List 7

Nameauthorityfile 8

Synonym Rings List of synonyms or near synonyms that are used interchangeably for retrieval purposes Example: Thesaurus Master Speech disorders does not use the Speech defects Synonym Ring approach – Speech, disorders of elects one term as Preferred Defective speech Frequently used in systems where  the content is not indexed or  the indexing vocabulary is not controlled 9

A “term” synonym ring Term Descriptor Node Category Subject heading 10

Basic definitions:Controlled Vocabulary  Indexing language  Standardized sets of terms & phrases  Authorized / vetted  Used for assignment indexing  Describes a domain or subject area 11

Lexicographer‟s lexicon 1 Terms and their relationships  Main Term  Controlledvocabulary term, full-fledged part of the thesaurus  aka Index Term, Descriptor, Preferred Term  Entry Term  Term that‟s not a full-fledged or preferred term in the thesaurus but is linked to the preferred term.  aka NonPreferred Term, Synonym 12

BOBI vs. taxonomy• Author‟s words • Terms chosen for wide recognition• Limited synonyms • Freely add synonyms• 2-3 levels deep • No limit on hierarchy depth• Point to page number • Point to document• Paper format • Electronic format• Headings, subheadings • Terms, TTs, BTs, NTs• See -> preferred term • Use -> pref term • (Equivalents, Synonyms)• SeeAlso -> related term • RT -> related term 13

Structure of controlled vocabulariesControlled Synonyms Taxonomy Thesaurusvocabs INCREASING COMPLEXITYAmbiguity control Ambiguity control Ambiguity control Synonym control Synonym control Synonym control Hierarchical rel‟s Hierarchical rel‟s Associative rel‟s Notes Ontology – Ambiguity, Synonym, Hierarchy, CUSTOM Associations 14

What‟s a taxonomy? Words – controlled vocabulary Used as labels – descriptive metadata Attached to documents or physical objects Organized to aid retrieval – hierarchical structure 15

Taxonomy as an organization system Controlled vocabulary Hierarchical format  Parent-child relationships Specific items are final leaves on hierarchy branches 16

Taxonomy defined – ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2005 Yes! controlled “A hierarchically organized vocabulary based on a classification scheme.” (Method of organization, usually a hierarchical structure of relationships among entities)Missing:equivalence, homographic, and associative relationshipsand notes – elements of a THESAURUS 17

Thesaurus as an organization system Controlled vocabulary Focus on conceptual classes, not specifics Hierarchy – implicit if not displayed  Parent-child relationships Various display formats may be available Network of relationships between terms guides user to find information Long  Cousins, friends, aliases Scope notes, term history established More elaborate and informative standards 18

Controlled vocabulary construction standards ANSI (American National Standards Institute) NISO (National Information Standards Organization)  ANSI/NISO Z39-19.2005 ISO (International Standards Organization)  ISO 2788, ISO 5964 BS (British Standards Institute)  BS 8723 – undergoing revision Differences are diminishing. 19

Taxonomy? Thesaurus? Often used interchangeably Thesaurus is a taxonomy with extras  Related Terms  Nonpreferred Terms (Use/Used for)  Scope Notes  And more Use the word your audience understands  Avoid confusion with Roget‟s thesaurus 20

Taxonomy Thesaurus view Term Record view 21

Thesaurus defined – ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2005“A controlled vocabulary arranged in a known order in which equivalence, homographic, hierarchical, and associative relationships among terms are clearly displayed and identified...Its purposes are to promote consistency in the indexing of content objects… and to facilitate browsing and searching... Thesauri may also facilitate the retrieval of content objects in free text searching.”[for use in postcoordinate indexing] 23

Sort “stuff I found” into food / not food categories 24

Similar itemsgo insamecategories 25

Words(terms)expressconcepts(categories) 26

Terms represent concepts Abstract entities  Insurance, Education, Information science Concrete objects  Things and their parts; Materials Proper nouns – “classes of one”  Thesauri don‟t include lists of names, trade names, authority files – but taxonomies can 27

Term meanings must be clear and unique ―Taxonomic specificity‖ 28

One term / one concept “Terms in a taxonomy should represent simple or unitary concepts…” (ISO standard) “Each descriptor … should represent a single concept (or unit of thought). …frequently expressed by a single-word term but in many cases a multiword term is required.” (ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2005) 29

Which qualify as terms? rooms kitchens “single unit living room furniture of thought” schools public schools public school curricula marketing and advertising societal issues  information ethics, plagiarism, credibility  information literacy, lifelong learning 30

Overlapping concepts make confusing terms The concept for one term should not overlap with the concept for another  Laws vs. Legislation  Legal cases vs. Litigation Term meanings should be clear and unique MUTUAL EXCLUSIVITY (especially among term sibling groups) 31

Define terms clearly –terms must be unique, not overlap 32

Need vocabulary control – why?“The need for vocabulary control arises from two basic features of natural language, namely:two or more words or terms can be used to represent a single concept, andtwo or more words that have the same spelling can represent different concepts.” ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2005 33

Many words – single concept AKA: NonPreferred Terms, Synonyms, Equivalents 34

Same word – different concept Same word for different concepts – Requires disambiguation 35

Vocabulary control –Express concepts concisely 36

Vocabulary control – in thesauri/taxonomiesOrganize terms1. to indicate which of two or more synonymous terms is authorized for use;2. to distinguish between homographs; and3. to indicate hierarchical and associative relationships among terms in the context of a controlled vocabulary or subject heading list. ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2005 37

Synonyms Different words for the same concept  President of the United States, POTUS  Biological technology, Biotech Must de-duplicate meanings Taxonomy and thesaurus appoint one term as preferred, others are nonpreferred  Choose leader of a synonym ring 38

Homographs (polysemes) Same written word used for different meanings  Einstein (Albert) vs. Einstein (the Brainy Bird)  Balloon, Box  Cells, Mercury, Records, Bridge/Bridges Must disambiguate, i.e. eliminate ambiguity 40

Homographs – same spelling, different meaning Another case of same word – different meaning Requires disambiguation 41

Relationships  Sort „em out  Line „em up  Organize and relate 42

Family… 43

… organized! 44

How do terms relate? Hierarchical relationships -- Parents and their TAXONOMY children THESAURUS Equivalence relationships -- Aliases ONTOLOGY Associative relationships -- Cousins Custom relationships 45

Lexicographer‟s lexicon 2 Terms and their relationships  Top Term (TT)  Broadest conceptual category, has no broader term  Broader Term (BT)  Any term that has narrower terms  Narrower Term (NT)  Any term that has broader terms  Orphan Term  Term with no broader or narrower terms 46

Lexicographer‟s lexicon 3 Top Term Broader Term Narrower TermYou are the child of your parents, but parent of your own children.In Linnaean taxonomy, the family, genus, species, etc. are static.In a thesaurus, BT and NT labels are relative and constantly shifting. 47

Hierarchical relationships Broader Term represents the class, whole, or genus Narrower Term IS A member, part, or species  Generic relationship – NT is a subtype of the BT  Whole-part relationship – NT is part of the BT  Instance relationship – NT is an example of the BT BTs/NTs have a reciprocal relationship 48

Generic relationship test Cartoons Funny things Comics  ALL comics are cartoons x NOT ALL comics or cartoons are funny x NOT ALL funny things are cartoons or comics 49

Inheritance What‟s true of the parent (BT) is true for all children (NTs)  Can prevent child term‟s validity for indexing 50

Child inherits parent’s attributes 51

Lexicographer‟s lexicon 4 Terms and their relationships  (Siblings)  Termsthat have the same parent and are on the same hierarchy level  (Parents, Ancestors)  Terms up the family tree 55

Do these Narrower Terms fit? Museums  Archaeological museums Is it a  Ethnological museums -- type,  Curators -- part, or  Science museums -- instance  Museum techniques of a museum?  Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art 56

Polyhierarchical relationships Term can logically fit under more than one Broader Term – can have Multiple Broader Terms (MBT) Part of ISO standards, new to ANSI/NISO Nurses Health administrators Nurse administrators Nurse administrators Finance Careers Accounting Accounting Spoons Forks Sporks Sporks 57

PolyhierarchyBT spoonNT sporkBT forkNT spork Jakin Waldock 58

Lexicographer‟s lexicon 5 Cross-references to terms  Use/Used For (U/UF)  Synonym equivalence linking a valid thesaurus term to a term not in the thesaurus  NonPreferred Term directs you to USE the Preferred Term Swine  USE Pigs Pigs Used For Swine 59

Equivalence relationship Preferred Term  Thesaurus term and valid for indexing  Thesaurus notation: USE NonPreferred Term  Not valid for indexing  Entry point, directs user to Preferred Term  Thesaurus notation: UF or NPT One-way reciprocal relationship Charlie Brown Chuck USE Charlie Brown 60 UF Chuck

Same concept – choose preferred expression Alternate can be NonPreferred Term 61

Equivalence – when to use Synonyms, slang, quasi-synonyms Scientific and trade names  Ibuprofen UF Motrin™ Lexical variants  Fiber optics UF Fibre optics  Mouse UF Mice Upward posting of narrow concepts not specified in taxonomy or thesaurus  Social class UF Elite, Middle class, Working classGet equivalent terms from search logs, brainstorming… Include typos! 62

Lexicographer‟s lexicon 6 Cross-references to terms  Related Term (RT)  Term has a conceptual connection to another term in the thesaurus, but not a BT/NT relationship  Both related terms are in the thesaurus  aka See Also Engineering RT Engineers Instrumental music RT Musical composition 63

Associative relationship Related Terms (RTs) – cousins “…terms related conceptually but not hierarchically, and are not part of an equivalence set” (i.e. not synonyms) Both valid thesaurus terms for indexing Two-way reciprocal relationship Expands user‟s awareness Standards describe specific types (ontologies get creative with associations!) 64

RelatedTermsare likecousinsindifferentfamilies 65

Cousins -differentbranchesof thefamily tree 66

Siblingsimilarity 67

Sibling similarity 68

Siblingsimilarity Who’s the suit? 69

Balance among siblings Should have similar weight or importance Odd term looks like it got lost, should be elsewhere 70

Polyhierarchies A single concept can logically be a NT under more than one more general BTCerts –NT under both BT Candy mints and BT Breath mints Candy mints Breath mints Certs CertsTennis shoes –NT under both BT Sportswear and BT Footwear Footwear Sportswear Tennis shoes Tennis shoes 71

Facets ---same item -differentattributes, -differentperspectives 72

Facets Capture attributes that can cut across term sibling groups and hierarchy branches Subdivide large groups of terms into facets, mutually exclusive subcategories Facet examples  Properties, Materials, Agents, Actions, Influence  Objects, Styles and periods, Color, Shape (Art & Architecture Thesaurus) 73

Scope notes 75

Term maintenance 76

Your taxaurus Hierarchy = taxonomy view Complete term records = thesaurus  Broader and Narrower Terms  Polyhierarchies when needed  Preferred/NonPreferred Terms (equivalence relationships)  Related Terms (associative relationships)  Scope Notes  Correct term format  Concise terms, compound terms when needed 77

Quit or go on? Exercises in taxonomy construction follow 78

Construct a sample thesaurus: ClothingCollect a bunch of terms: Pants Socks Raincoats Sportswear Headwear Gloves Shirts Ties Swimsuits Coats Belts Slippers Hats Stockings Nightwear Underwear Vests Skirts Shoes Dresses Footwear Jackets Slacks Sandals Sweaters T-shirts Boots Men‟s wear Ladies‟ wear Children‟s wear 79

What‟s general, what‟s specific?Boots BT ____________________Slippers NT ____________________Shoes NT ____________________Footwear NT ____________________Coats BT ____________________Outerwear NT ____________________Jackets NT ____________________Raincoats NT ____________________Belts BT ____________________Ties NT ____________________Cufflinks NT ____________________ 80??? NT ____________________

Outerwear ? Scarves Coats Jackets ? Dresses Raincoats Hats ? Pants are theseHeadwear ? Trousers different? Hats ? Slacks preferred?Footwear Boots ? Sweaters Shoes Slippers ? ShirtsUnderwear T-shirts Socks Black socks ? Sportswear Blue socksAccessories ? Gloves Belts Ties ? Nightwear 81

Flesh out the term record: • Related Terms • NonPreferred term equivalents (USE/Used for pairs) • Add Scope Notes • Multiple Broad Terms What’s that? 82

Taxaurus Review: A Comical Perspective

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Taxaurus Review: A Comical Perspective — Presentation Transcript