Re: A Model Theoretic Semantics for DAML-ONT

Hello,

In his message (Re: A Model Theoretic Semantics for DAML-ONT) of 10/11/00,
pat hayes wrote:
>First, a comment on terminology. Maybe it is too late to stop this 
>usage, but (as I am sure you know), what you have written is not, in 
>fact, a model-theoretic semantics for DAML, but a transcription of 
>DAML into a language which has a model-theoretic semantics.  This is 
>only a terminological issue, but it does mean that if we all adopt 
>this new usage of "model theoretic semantics", there will be no way 
>to refer to an actual model theoretic semantics unless we invent a 
>new word. Since this particular terminology has been in settled use 
>throughout logic and philosophy of language for about 55 years it 
>seems a pity to create new confusions by being careless with it.

I subscribe to that. And, I would like to add another reason: I 
expected a set-theoretic description because it is quite common and I 
do not have to learn the semantics of another language to understand 
that one in details.
The funny issue comes if you think that you would like to communicate 
the semantics of the (relatively simple) languages we use to a 
machine. For instance, to proof-check that a transformation from a 
language to another preserves the models. In order to do it, a 
description of the semantics of the languages is required. So, it 
would be nice to have a common way of the semantic description (both 
for humans and machines). Currently, I am using a mix of Xpath and 
MathML-content for this (of course, if you want to read it it will 
have to be transformed to LaTeX or MathML-presentation).

This said, I appreciate very much the effort of setting up that 
semantics characterisation that ultimately provide us with 
model-theoretical semantics.

Regards,
-- 
  Jérôme Euzenat                  __
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Received on Friday, 10 November 2000 06:34:21 UTC