Title page for ETD etd-09042003-181524

Type of Document Dissertation

Author Strotmann, Andreas
!" etd-09042003-181524
Title #ontent $ar%up &anguage De'ign (rinciple'
Degree PhD
Department Computer Science, Department of
Ad)i'ory #ommittee Ad)i'or "ame Title
adis!a" #$ %ohout Committee Chair
&i!'ert e"it( Committee )em'er
%*!e +a!!i"an Committee )em'er
)i,a Sepp-a!-a Committee )em'er
.o'ert A$ "an /n0e!en Committee )em'er
*ey+ord' Content )ar,up
Communication
Date of Defen'e 2003-01-01
A)aila,ility unrestricted
A,'tract
2he research 0oa! of this dissertation is to point the 3a* to3ards a 'etter understandin0
for the hidden comp!e4ities of ,no3!ed0e communication and content mar,up, 3ith a "ie3
to c!eaner, more princip!ed desi0ns$ 2he fo!!o3in0 four specific contri'utions are sho3n to 'e
particu!ar!* usefu! too!s in the 5uest for understandin0 and impro"in0 the desi0n of content
mar,up !an0ua0es6
in0uistics para!!e!6 Since human !an0ua0e is a hi0h-5ua!it* e4istin0 so!ution to a
0enera!i(ation of the pro'!em that ,no3!ed0e communication !an0ua0es aim to so!"e, the
stud* of the 7en0ineerin0 so!utions8 of human !an0ua0e pro"ide a 0uide!ine to en0ineerin0
so!utions for content mar,up !an0ua0e desi0n$
an0ua0e !a*ers and components6 9e propose a 0enera! architecture for ,no3!ed0e
communication !an0ua0es, notin0 that human !an0ua0e appears to 'e structured in a deep!*
re!ated para!!e! fashion$
Compositiona!it*6 2he Compositiona!it* Princip!e is a fundamenta! research paradi0m in the
stud* of the semantics of human !an0ua0e$ 9e sho3 ho3 this princip!e, 3hich 3e ha"e
introduced into our research fie!d from !in0uistics, has a!read* had a nota'!e effect on
impro"in0 content mar,up !an0ua0es$
Cate0oria! semantics6 A cate0oria! semantics of a ,no3!ed0e communication !an0ua0e is
another fundamenta! too!, as !in0uists 3ho stud* the semantics of human !an0ua0e ha"e
disco"ered$ :n particu!ar, 3e introduce the concept of cate0oria! t*pes into the discussion, and
propose a comp!ete cate0oria! t*pe s*stem for one particu!ar !an0ua0e, name!* ;pen)ath$
2his dissertation is thus concerned 3ith the architecture of such !an0ua0es$ 2he !in0uistics
para!!e! posits a para!!e! 'et3een human !an0ua0e and content mar,up architectures 'ased on
a rea!i(ation that the pro'!ems the* so!"e are deep!* re!ated, 3hich !eads us to propose a
0enera! architecture of !a*ers and components for content mar,up and ,no3!ed0e
communication !an0ua0es$ 2he compositiona!it* princip!e pro"ides an architectura! 0uide!ine
for the desi0n of the t3o core !a*ers of such !an0ua0es, and 3ritin0 a cate0oria! t*pe s*stem
for a compositiona! content mar,up !an0ua0e turns out to 'e an immense!* usefu! too! for
desi0nin0 such a !an0ua0e$
App!ication of this approach to se"era! e4istin0 !an0ua0e proposa!s pro"ides e"idence for its
practica! usefu!ness, '* sho3in0 ho3 fai!ure to adhere to these desi0n princip!es produces
concrete 'u0s in their specifications$