[sc34wg3] SAM-issue term-scope-def

Jan Algermissen sc34wg3@isotopicmaps.org
Thu, 27 Jun 2002 20:21:49 +0200


Lars Marius Garshol wrote:
> 
> * Jan Algermissen
> |
> | I don't think that scoping a <baseName> element asserts anything
> | about the validity of the name for a particular topic.
> 
> That's not how I read the XTM 1.0 specification. The first paragraph
> of Section 2.2.1.6[1] describes scope as limiting the validity of
> "topic characteristic assignments," which clearly includes base names.

Right. What I was up to is that scoping a topic-basename association
limits the validity of the 'use' (or assignment) of a particular name
as a BASENAME and that it does not mean that the used name isn't a valid
(simple-)name for the topic if the scope does not apply. (Either something
is a name for something or not, that fact does not change)

In other words, we must be carefull not to mix the special semantics
of the topic-basename associations (or characteristic assignments) with
the general semantics of using names for 'things'.

Regarding the example, we must be careful not to infer from the scoped
*basename* assignment of 'economie' to a topic, that 'economie' isn't
a valid *name* for the topic unless the scope {Dutch} applies.

If the scope {Dutch} doesn't apply 'economie' is not a valid
BASE NAME, no more.


> I explained in another email that I think you can't infer from
> 
>   [economy = "economie" / dutch]
> 
> that the name "economie" might not be used for this concept in other
> languages than Dutch. All you know is that the topic map author didn't
> say it was so, but the author might be unaware that it is possible,
> might not have completed the topic map yet, and so on.

>From the above association I would infer (assuming that the author
is a careful topic map author) that she is damn sure that the name
"economie" is an unambigous name 'in dutch' for the topic --economy--.
If the author wasn't sure, "economie" should not be a basename but some
other kind of name (without the semantics of unambiguity).

Sorry, I should have made my distinction between basename and name
much more explicit in my first reply.

So, again: does that make sense to you ? ;-)

Jan



> 
> So I think we agree on everything here, except your first paragraph
> above.
> 
> [1] <URL: http://www.topicmaps.org/xtm/1.0/#desc-scope >
> 
> --
> Lars Marius Garshol, Ontopian         <URL: http://www.ontopia.net >
> ISO SC34/WG3, OASIS GeoLang TC        <URL: http://www.garshol.priv.no >
> 
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Jan Algermissen
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