Verbalizing ORM models in Malay and Mandarin

Abstract

The rich graphical notations provided by fact-oriented modeling approaches such as Object-Role Modeling (ORM) for capturing business constraints assist modelers to visualize fine details of their data models. However, the data models themselves are best validated with domain experts by verbalizing the models in a controlled natural language, and by populating the relevant fact types with concrete examples. While a number of fact-based modeling tools provide extensive verbalization support in English, comparatively little work exists to provide fact-based model verbalization support for other languages, especially Asian languages. This paper describes our initial work on verbalizing ORM models in Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) and Mandarin. We discuss aspects of these languages that are not found in English, which require special treatment in order to render natural verbalization (e.g. noun classifiers, and the order in which sentence elements are placed), and describe our current implementation efforts, which involved creating both a prototype and an extension to the NORMA (Natural ORM Architect) tool. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.