Re: [ontolog-forum] predicates in RDF

[rick@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Paola & All:

Happy to share some thoughts and I also have a similar question regarding the use of is and has in RDF property labels. 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: paola.dimaio@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:paola.dimaio@xxxxxxxxx]
>Sent: Tuesday, January 1, 2008 06:45 AM
>To: '[ontolog-forum]'
>Subject: [ontolog-forum] predicates in RDF
>
>Coming from a linguistic background, I have always thought that
>predicate is a verb
>
>CF. The predicate of a sentence is the part of the sentence that makes
>the assertion about the subject. The main part of the predicate is a
>finite verb (which must be present). The predicate can be a verb
>alone, or a verb and other words related to it. ...
>www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/terms.htm
>

First a reference from Peirce's Of Reasoning in General that
differentiates the linguistic logical predicates, introduces the
copula and reveals some of his thinking on semiotics (icon, index and
sybmol) in propositions:


"The categorical proposition, according to the usual variety of the
traditional doctrine, is made up of two names called its terms, namely
its subject and predicate, as principal parts; in addition to which it
has a copula, the verb is."


<snip>


"The categorical proposition of traditional logic follows the Aryan
syntax and is like this: 'man is mortal'. The grammatical subject is
the logical subject. The grammatical predicate is replaced by is
followed by a name, which is the logical predicate.  The subject
contains the whole or part of the index, which gives its peculiar
thing-like character as subject, while the predicate involves the icon
which gives it its peculiar ideal character as predicate. The copula is
the symbol."

So, the linguistic predicate is replaced by the logical predicate and
the copula. Or, in the words of Bill Clinton, that depends on what you
mean by is. ;-)

>but on the W3C spec, there is no such requirement/constraint
>
>
>http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-concepts/#ref-rdf-semantics
>
>Is there no such implication that predicate must be a verb in rdf?

Interested in other folks thoughts on the use of is and has in RDF properties. I've never been comfortable with arbitrarily slapping an is or has label-prefix, like *hasTopping*, on a property name, but I'm probably missing something. One could propose an idiom for use with RDF/OWL where label-prefixes like is designate quality (firstness), relation (secondness) and mediation (thirdness). And that convention would hae to be applied and understood by the knowledge engineer. This convention, or idiom, probably has no grounding in RDF, but my that's the best I've come up with to date. Sorry, this proposal is incomplete on secondness and thirdness, but it could be developed further.

Anyway, Happy New Year Everybody !

>thanks!
>seasons wishes
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>-- 
>Paola Di Maio
>School of IT
>www.mfu.ac.th
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