Ontology and the Lexicon

Abstract

Ontologies and lexicons enjoy a complex relationship. Although words denote concepts and concepts make up ontologies, a lexicon is at best an ersatz ontology: there is no clear mapping between the words and word relationships that it contains and the concepts and concept relationships in an ontology. The reasons for this include the following: Word senses overlap in complex ways; many concepts are not lexicalized in some or all languages; and languages make semantic distinctions that are not ontological. Nonetheless, a lexicon can sometimes be the basis for the development of a practical ontology.