RE: [topicmaps-comment] multilingual thesaurus - language,scope ,and topic naming constraint

["Bandholtz, Thomas" <thomas.bandholtz@koeln.sema.slb.com>]

Title: RE: [topicmaps-comment] multilingual thesaurus - language, scope,and topic naming constraint

> if you used the xml:lang attribute, you'd have no scope (e.g. [language.xtm#en]) to look up
> the names.

Look up what names? If i write
<basename xml:lang="es">economía</basename>
<basename xml:lang="en">economy</basename>
the names AND languages are given. This is typically what XML suggests.

> How would you retrieve all spanish names for example....

by adding [xml:lang="es"] as a selection in an XPath (or XQuery) statement.
Where is the problem?

> Also, remember that by scoping you are not attributing the name to be of a certain language, but that
> you are expressing that the association between a name and a topic is only valid in
> a certain context!

1. In GEMET there is only one (1) economy descriptor (=topic), identified by an ID. They give terms in different languages, but they do not express language dependant views - or scopes.

2. GEMET *is* only attributing the name to be of a certain language - nothing else!

3. A basename is a basename and not an association.

4. Back to the roots: The identifier of a topic is ID and not basename. If you refer to a topic you use IDREF and not the basename.

Thomas

Thomas Bandholtz
XML Competence Center
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Sema GmbH
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