Peter,
Many thanks...I am trying to follow the discussion and some parts
of discussion here appears to me a bit mixed as if they are coming
as a part of several unrelated conversations. I also try to understand
the scope of XFML and semantic of the elements.

I would not mix the terms(language expression which is problem of dictionary
and language), with concept (meaning which is an intellectual problem and
subject
of classification) or with physical objects - instances (for which you
produce representation surrogates i.e. metadata)
One can use language (i.e.terms) to express idea/concept in order to give
information
what an object is about (topic/subject/aboutness/ofness).
(personally I don't think that Luca's reference to Saussure's language
paradigm sign-
signifiant-signifie helps here)
In relation to metadata term-concept paradigm has something to do with
vocabulary used to populate metadata elements.
Term-concept-topic paradigm is crucial only when one wants to populate
the specific metadata elements that describe the
topic/subject/aboutness/ofness of
the given object represented by metadata.

I am trying to understand what one may call a "faceted metadata".
Do you call facets element categories based on the functional
requirements for given metadata?
(in that respect every properly structured metadata is by definition
'faceted',
some descriptive metadata standards are structured more hierarchically than
the others e.g.
EAD and TEI as compared with bibliographical metadata or AMICO or SPECTRUM).

In my understanding a facet analysis can be applied on the three levels of
metadata at least
(if facet is understood the total set of subclasses produced by the
application
of one broad principle of division)
1)FIRST application - general metadata structure (classes of descriptive
elements supporting
a particular function)... semantic of these elements have to be mutualy
exclusive e.g. every metadata standard will have elements supporting
discovery, administration
and technical features of the object. Elements supporting e.g. discovery
will be grouped into broad
classes of elements that describe e.g. content, intellectual property and
instantiation.
Elements describing content will have elements describing formal
characteristics: title, type, audience BUT will
also have elements describing subject (what the object is about, or what it
is for).

- SECOND application - metadata vocabulary within each descriptive element
can be faceted
e.g. in the element type_of_the_object we can have a list of vocabulary
values that
would describe the physical characteristics of the object - by size, by
material,
by function.... The value in the element 'type' would be combination of
size-material-function. The metadata syntax for this kind of vocabulary can
be modelled as element attribues/types. (syntax and semantic of this can
be self-evident or decided upon within metadata standard)

- THIRD application is metadata vocabulary describing subject of the
resource
that is taken from the Faceted classification and is
pre-coordinate/pre-combined complex expression.
( Syntax and semantic of which is not self-explainable and is external to
the metadata itself).
In this case value can be ID(URI) pointing to the external source... or the
value can be a symbol
or heading that needs to be interpreted by the system...
NOTA BENE: faceted classification here has specific meaning as used in
library science and represent an
indexing systems with ontological framework based on the following OR
similar facet categories: personality,
matter, energy, space,time (Ranganathan's PMEST).

I would appreciate any thoughts on this.

Aida

-----Original Message-----
From: petertheman <peter <at> poorbuthappy.com>
[mailto:peter <at> poorbuthappy.com]
Sent: 06 January 2003 20:05
To: facetedclassification <at> yahoogroups.com
Subject: [facetedclassification] Re: Defining basic vocabulary of
faceted classification (TERMINOLOGY)

> And also, is XFML is created as a 'container'/'carrier'
> for faceted vocabulary/classification or is it meant to be encoding
language
> for descriptive/administrative/technical metadata???

I can answer that. XFML was created as an *interchange format* for
hierarchical faceted metadata. The idea being to exchange
*categories* that are structured as faceted hierarchies.

PeterV

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