Hi all,

Among the examples of E28 Conceptual Objects there is (rightfully) Beethoven’s 
“Ode to Joy”. I would believe that “Ode to Joy” is the appellation of this 
object, as is also "“Ode an die Freude”” etc. 

However, the examples of E75 Conceptual Object Appellation (related to E28 by 
P149 is identified by) include as examples only identifiers, i.e. instances of 
E42 Identifier, which is a specific kind (actually a subclass) of E41 
Appellation. The same happens, more or less, in the examples of P149.

My question is:
- is this deliberate, and only identifiers are allowed for E75, as in the 
examples
- or, “Ode to Joy” would also be an acceptable instance of E75, as results from 
the scope note? 

I will assume the latter. If I am right, adding “Ode to Joy” as an example of 
E75, i.e. an appellation that is not an identifier, would clarify. 

By the way, and in general, I am not much comfortable with all the story of 
Identifiers/Appellations. 
For example, in the scope note of E44 Place Appellation the term “identifier” 
is loosely used to define the class instances, but this may be misleading as 
appellations like “next door on the left after Franco's house, just before the 
Indian Restaurant named Kashmir” are not at all an identifier, but indeed a 
valid place appellation. In Japan this one may reportedly be used also as E45 
Address, again called an “identifier” in its scope note. An identifier is an 
appellation, but an appellation is not (always) an identifier.

Perhaps more important, there is an activity of Identifier Assignment (E15) as 
subclass of Attribute Assignment (E13), but there is no similar class of 
Appellation Assignment, which would include giving names, addresses etc. So one 
has to go up one level and use E13, possibly with a type specification, to 
describe the activity of associating names with things, which is still more 
frequent than assigning a DOI.

While Identifiers are indeed important because, among others, they may enable 
Linked Data, I don't really care of knowing how the identifier was assigned, so 
a shortcut property would probably suffice in most cases to link the thing to 
its identifier, preferred or not. On the other hand, I’d often like to know by 
whom/when/why a name (an appellation) was given to something, and the full path 
including the activity would allow documenting who did it (participated in the 
activity in the role of author), why (was motivated by), etc. It is unclear to 
me why Identifiers have the privilege of a specific assignment activity, while 
poor Appellations don’t. 

Thanks for the attention

Franco

Prof Franco Niccolucci
Director, VAST-LAB
PIN - U. of Florence
Scientific Coordinator
ARIADNE - PARTHENOS

Piazza Ciardi 25
59100 Prato, Italy






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