Re: Call for Comments: SKOS Primer: W3C Working Draft 21 February 2008

I had this message several times. To ignore it might look impolite. Some 
brief comments on two basic assumptions.



I.  ''SKOS — Simple Knowledge Organisation System — provides a model for 
expressing the basic structure and content of concept schemes such as 
thesauri, classification schemes, subject heading lists, taxonomies, 
folksonomies, and other types of controlled vocabulary.''



Here is a confusion of different entities: constructs and words (terms). 
Besides, it is the domain of global ontology to cover all sorts of 
controlled vocabulary. No need to invent the SKOS.



 II. ''The fundamental element of the SKOS vocabulary is the concept. 
Concepts denote ideas or meanings that are the units of thought [Willpower 
Glossary] which underly the KOSs used in a number of applications 
[SKOS-UCR]. As such, concepts exist in the mind as abstract entities which 
are independent of the terms used to label them.''



Here is a bad misunderstanding of the nature of semantics and its basic 
notions; namely:

1. Vocabulary is a listing of words or the system of symbols and techniques, 
and hardly it is a conceptual system.



2. No ''concepts denote ideas or meanings''. There is general semantic rule: 
some symbols (signs) designate, while all constructs mean something in the 
world. Then, symbols (or signs) designate constructs (ideas, concepts, 
propositions, or theories), whereas the constructs mean real things. So the 
ideas are expressed by words, which signify the real entities to be named. 
Thus the meanings of ideas are signified by words, not by concepts. We say 
significance of the symbol and the meaning of the construct, what might be 
equivalent.



3. There are words (signs, symbols, terms, codes) which signify only things 
in the world or only the ideas in the mind or both ideas and things.



4. Concept is the unit construct, and the construct covers concept 
(individual, class, relation), proposition, context, and theory.



Summing up:



If somebody is striving for semantic web, he must have a good learning about 
the nature of meaning 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_%28linguistic%29 ) and the modes of 
signification ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign)determined by the kinds of 
things signified and the kinds of things which signify (signs, symbols, 
codes, terms, words).




azamat abdoullaev

more on semantics see
http://www.igi-pub.com/books/details.asp?id=7641

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Antoine Isaac" <aisaac@few.vu.nl>
To: <semantic-web@w3.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 12:02 AM
Subject: Call for Comments: SKOS Primer: W3C Working Draft 21 February 2008


>
> W3C Semantic Web Deployment Working Group
>
> We are pleased to announce the publication of the SKOS Primer as a W3C 
> First Public Working Draft:
>
> http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/WD-skos-primer-20080221/
>
> This is a substantial update to and replacement for the previous SKOS Core 
> Guide W3C Working Draft dated 2 November 2005 [1]. It is a companion 
> document to the SKOS Simple Knowledge Organization System Reference W3C 
> Working Draft dated 25 January 2008 [2].
>
> We ask at this stage feedback and reviews on this draft guide. All 
> comments are welcome and may be sent to public-swd-wg@w3.org; please 
> include the text "SKOS comment in the subject line. Note especially that 
> there are a number of open issues, which are indicated in the document.
>
> Please forward this announcement to any other groups which may be 
> interested.
>
> Abstract:
> """
> SKOS — Simple Knowledge Organization System — provides a model for 
> expressing the basic structure and content of concept schemes such as 
> thesauri, classification schemes, subject heading lists, taxonomies, 
> folksonomies, and other types of controlled vocabulary. As an application 
> of the Resource Description Framework (RDF) SKOS
> allows concepts to be documented, linked and merged with other data, while 
> still being composed, integrated and published on the World Wide Web.
>
> This document is an implementors guide for those who would like to 
> represent their concept scheme using SKOS.
>
> In basic SKOS, conceptual resources (concepts) can be identified using 
> URIs, labelled with strings in one or more natural languages, documented 
> with various types of notes, semantically related to each other in 
> informal hierarchies and association networks, and aggregated into 
> distinct concept schemes.
>
> In advanced SKOS, conceptual resources can be mapped to conceptual 
> resources in other schemes and grouped into labelled or ordered 
> collections. Concept labels can also be related to each other. Finally, 
> the SKOS vocabulary itself can be extended to suit the needs of particular 
> communities of practice.
>
> This document is a companion to the SKOS Reference, which gives the 
> normative reference on SKOS.
> """
>
> For more information on SKOS, the Semantic Web Deployment Working Group, 
> or the W3C Semantic Web Activity, please see the following links:
>
> http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos
> http://www.w3.org/2006/07/SWD/
> http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Antoine
>
> [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/WD-swbp-skos-core-guide-20051102/
> [2] http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/WD-skos-reference-20080125/
>

Received on Wednesday, 27 February 2008 21:11:09 UTC