Context

Plumber carries Pipe

The following forms in CG and IFF represent the English sentence

“A plumber is carrying a pipe."

This example was taken from the CGIF (Conceptual Graph Interchange Format) Standard. Here we use an IFF expression to represent the conceptual graph. There are several files associated with this example: the ontology file, the model file, and two multimedia files (*.WAV and *.JPEG).

We paraphrase the CGIF standard. To illustrate descriptors and literals in the referent field, the following diagram shows the object type Situation with an assertion description. In the assertion, the agent function indicates that the plumber is the one who is doing the action, and the object function indicates that the pipe is the thematic object of the action. The situation instance is linked via the binary conceptual relation Image to an object of type Picture, whose reference contains a literal that illustrates the situation. It is also linked via another Image relation to an object of type Sound, whose reference contains another literal that encodes the associated sound." The verb "carry" is represented by the reified binary relation Carry.

CG

Display Form

Interchange Format

[Situation *s 
 (Agnt [Plumber] [Carry *c]) 
 (Thme ?c [Pipe])]
 (Imag ?s [Sound: %WAV"..."; The literal string encodes the audio. ])
 (Imag ?s [Picture: %JPEG"..."; The literal string encodes the image. ])
]

IFF

There is one type reifications in the ontology: carry ® Carry. Also, there are three restrictions of relations/functions to source/target subtypes: desc (description), thme (thematic object) and agnt (agent). These relation/functions are included with the CG ontology. Also included are the three entity types Person , Inanimate_Object and Situation.

Language

(language located at http://www.cg.org/example/)

<IFF>

<Ontology version="1.0">

<extends href="http://www.ontologos.org/ontology"/>

<extends ontology="CG" href="http://www.cg.org/ontology"/>

<Object name="Plumber"/>

<Object name="Pipe"/>

<Relation name="carry" source="Plumber" target="Pipe"/>

<Object name="Carry" rel="carry">

<Function name="CG:agent" target="Plumber"/>

<Function name="CG:theme" target="Pipe"/>

</Object>

<subtype specific="Plumber" generic="CG:Person"/>

<subtype specific="Pipe" generic="CG:Inanimate_Object"/>

<subtype specific="Carry" generic="CG:Act"/>

</Ontology>

</IFF>

Model

We define an IFF expression to represent the expression "A plumber is carrying a pipe." This is placed in the context of a situation type instance by embedding within the description attribute of the situation. The IFF expression corresponds to the conceptual graph nested in the situation context.

We define objects only when they have a name implying that they have some particular existence. Other objects exist, but are only existentially quantified. Although we could use an explicit existential quantifier, here we use two abbreviations for existential quantification: (1) define objects (without ids) and (2) use references in the form type# that are qualifiers without the instance designator – for example <Plumber#/>.

Another IFF abbreviation is to include text, picture, and sound as attributes of situation instances. These are intended to be used for display purposes. However, multiple references to multimedia would need an Image relation.

<Expression>

<Signature/>

<CG:Situation

text="A plumber is carrying a pipe."

picture="http://www.plumberpipe.com/PlumberPipe.jpeg"

sound="http://www.plumberpipe.com/PlumberPipe.wav">

<CG:desc>

<Expression>

<Signature/>

<Carry><CG:agnt value="Plumber#"/><CG:thme value="Pipe#"/></Carry>

</Expression>

</CG:desc>

</CG:Situation>

</Expression>

Tom believes

The following forms in CG and IFF represent the English sentence taken from the CGIF (Conceptual Graph Interchange Format) Standard.

"Tom believes that Mary wants to marry a sailor."

CG

Display Form

Linear Form

[Person: Tom]<-(Expr)<-[Believe]->(Thme)-

[Proposition:

[Person: Mary *m]<-(Expr)<-[Want]->(Thme)-

[Situation:

[?m]<-(Agnt)<-[Marry]->(Thme)->[Sailor]

]

]

Interchange Format

[Person: Tom *t][Believe *b]

(Expr ?b ?t)

(Thme ?b [Proposition:

[Person: Mary *m] [Want *w]

(Expr ?w ?m)

(Thme ?w [Situation:

[Marry *ms]

(Agnt ?ms ?m)

(Thme ?ms [Sailor])

])

])

IFF

There are three type reifications in the ontology: believe ® Belief, want ® Want and marry ® Marriage. Also, there are four restrictions of relations/functions to source/target subtypes: desc (description), expr (experiencer), thme (thematic object) and agnt (agent). These relation/functions are included with the CG ontology. Also included are the two entity types Proposition and Situation.

Ontology

<IFF>

<Ontology version="1.0">

<extends href="http://www.ontologos.org/ontology"/>

<extends ontology="CG" href="http://www.cg.org/ontology"/>

<Object name="Person"/>

<Object name="Sailor"/>

<Object name="Belief" rel="believe">

<Function name="CG:expr" entity="Person"/>

<Function name="CG:thme" entity="Expression"/>

</Object>

<Object name="Want" rel="want">

<comment>The noun "want"</comment>

<Function name="CG:expr" entity="Person"/>

<Function name="CG:thme" entity="Situation"/>

</Object>

<Object name="Marriage" rel="marry">

<comment>The noun "marry"</comment>

<Function name="CG:agnt" entity="Person"/>

<Function name="CG:thme" entity="Person"/>

</Object>

<subtype specific="Sailor" generic="Person"/>

</Ontology>

</IFF>

Model

<Person text="Tom" var="t"/>

<Person text="Mary" var="m"/>

<Expression>

<Signature/>

<Belief>

<CG:expr value="t"/>

<CG:thme><CG:Proposition><CG:desc>

<Expression>

<Signature/>

<Want>

<CG:expr value="m">

<CG:thme><CG:Situation><CD:desc>

<Expression>

<Signature></Signature>

<Marriage>

<CG:agnt value="m"/>

<CG:thme><Sailor#/></theme>

</Marriage>

</Expression>

</CG:desc></CG:Situation></CG:thme>

</Want>

</Expression>

</CG:desc></CG:Proposition></CG:thme>

</Belief>

</Expression>

é

Please send questions, comments and suggestions about this page to: Robert E. Kent rekent@ontologos.org

Copyright © 2000 TOC (The Ontology Consortium). All rights reserved. Revised: July 2000