Groups, Properties, Language and English - OpenPatternsInc/EntsDatabase GitHub Wiki

This page discusses ideas relating to groups vs. properties, and their expression in language. This is important for interfacing with the user. A particular Ent and its characteristics can be expressed in plain language (like a paragraph of text), or the user may edit a database by entering language and having a program parse it and extract what it means for the hierarchy. The use of natural language is beneficial because the user does not need to memorize a contrived syntax.

A significant strength of the "Ents" style database of Taxonomic Hierarchies is its regular rules. The focus on groups and their interrelations lends itself well to being expressed in "normal" language.

The Animals group entirely contains the Mammals group, so in English we can say "Mammals are Animals", "Mammals are a type of Animal", or "Some Animals are Mammals".

"Mammals" and "Animals" are named groups which themselves denote numerous properties that all of their members possess. All mammals have mammary glands, hence their name. A group called "Things that have mammary glands" would be appropriate, as would "Things with mammary glands". Thus "that have" and "with" are different ways to express the same thing, within this narrow context.