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UNL 2005 Specifications

7 June 2005
Copyright © UNL Center of UNDL Foundation

Chapter 2 Relations

There are many factors to be considered in choosing an inventory of relations between concepts. Different factors taken into account in choosing the relations lead to different sets of the relations. The UNL relations are selected according to the following principles.

Principles of Relation

PRINCIPLE 1 : NECESSARY CONDITION
When an UW has relations between more than one other UWs, each relation label should be set so as to be able to identify each relation on the premise that there is enough knowledge about the concept of each UW expressed.

PRINCIPLE 2 : SUFFICIENT CONDITION
When there are relations between UWs, each relation label should be set so as to be able to understand the role of each UW only by referring to the relation label.

Definitions of Relations

The following are the relations defined according to the above principles. A relation label is represented as strings of 3 characters or less.

agt and aoj bas ben cag cao cnt cob con coo dur equ fmt frm
gol icl ins int iof man met mod nam obj opl or per plc plf
plt pof pos ptn pur qua rsn scn seq shd src tim tmf tmt to
via
agt agent
indicates a thing in focus that initiates an action
agt ( do, thing )
agt ( action(icl>event), thing )
Detailed Definition

An agent is defined as the relation between:
UW1 - do, and
UW2 - a thing
where:
· UW2 initiates UW1, or
· UW2 is thought of as having a direct role in making UW1 happen.

Examples and Readings

agt ( break(agt>thing,obj>thing), John(iof>person) )
agt ( translate(agt>thing,gol>language,obj>information,src>language),computer(icl>machine) )
agt ( run(icl>act(agt>volitional thing)), car(icl>vehicle) )
agt ( destroy(agt>thing,obj>thing), explosion(icl>event) )

John breaks c
computer translates c
car runs c
explosion destroys c

Related Relations

· An agent is different from cag in that an agent initiates the action, whereas a co-agent initiates a different, accompanied action.
· An agent is different from ptn in that an agent is the focused initiator of the action, whereas a partner is a non-focused initiator.
· An agent is different from aoj in that an agent initiates an action, whereas aoj indicates a thing that is in a state. A state is expressed by a UW that belongs to 'be'.
and conjunction
indicates a partner to have conjunctive relation to
and ( uw, uw )
Detailed Definition
A conjunction is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – a concept, and
UW2 – another concept,
where:
· The UWs are different, and
· UW1 and UW2 are seen as grouped together, and
· what is said of UW1 is also said of UW2.
Examples and Readings

and ( quickly, easily )
and ( dance(agt>person), sing(agt>person) )
and ( Mary(iof>person), John(iof>person) )

c easily and quickly
c singing and dancing
c John and Mary

Related Relations
· A conjunction is different from or in that with and things are grouped together to say the same thing about both of them, whereas with or we separate them to indicate that what is true about one is not true about the other.
· A conjunction is different from cag in that when the agents are conjoined, both initiate an explicit event, whereas with cag, the co-agent initiates an implicit event.
· A conjunction is different from ptn in that when the agents and partners are conjoined, both are in focus, whereas with ptn, the partner is not in focus (as compared to the agent).
· A conjunction is different from coo and seq in meaning, although in many cases the same expressions can be used for both. A conjunction only means that terms are grouped together; no information about time is implied. Coo, on the other hand, means that the terms are in the same time, whether they are considered to be grouped together or not. In turn, seq means that the terms are ordered in time, one after the other.
· A conjunction is different from int and or in that as a logical operator or makes differences, int makes an intersection, whereas  and makes a union .
aoj thing with attribute
indicates a thing that is in s state or has an attribute
aoj ( be, thing )
aoj ( thing, thing )
aoj ( uw(aoj>thing), thing )
Detailed Definition
A thing with an attribute or in a state is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an attribute or a state or a thing which represents a state, and
UW2 – a thing,
where:
· UW1 is an attribute or state of UW2, or
· UW1 is a state associated with UW2.
Examples and Readings

aoj ( red(aoj>thing), leaf(pof>plant) )
aoj ( available(aoj>thing,obj<thing), information )
aoj ( nice, ski(agt>person) )
aoj ( teacher(icl>occupation), John(iof>person) )
aoj ( have(aoj>thing,obj>thing), I )
aoj ( know(aoj>thing,obj>thing), John(iof>person) )

... leaf is red.
This information is available for c
Skiiing is nice.
John is a teacher.
I have a pen.
John knows c
Related Relations
· A thing with an attribute is different from mod in that mod gives some restriction of the concept in focus, whereas aoj indicates a thing of a state or characteristic.
· A thing with an attribute is different from ben in that a beneficiary is quite independent from a focused event or state. This event or state can be considered as exerting a good or bad influence on the beneficiary, whereas aoj indicates a thing that has a direct relation with the event or state, the event or state can be considered as describing a state or characteristic about the thing.
· A thing with an attribute is different from obj in that obj indicates a thing which is directly affected by an action or phenomenon, whereas, aoj indicates a thing in a state.
bas basis
indicates a thing used as the basis (standard) of comparison
bas ( be(aoj>volitional thing,bas>thing,obj>thing), thing )
bas ( do(agt>thing,bas>thing,obj>thing), thing )
bas ( how(bas>thing), thing )
bas ( uw(aoj>thing,bas>thing), thing )
Detailed Definition
A basis is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – a concept expressing comparison, and
UW2 – a thing,
where:
· UW1 is a concept expressing comparison, and
· UW2 is something used as the basis for evaluating the characteristic or quantity of some other (focused) thing.
Examples and readings

bas ( more(aoj>thing,bas>thing), 7 )
bas ( more(icl>how,bas>thing), Jack(iof>person) )
man ( beautiful, more(icl>how,bas>thing) )
bas ( more(icl>how,bas>thing), rose(icl>flower) )
aoj ( :01, John(iof>person) )
man:01 ( quiet(aoj>thing), more(icl>how,bas>thing) )
bas:01 ( more(icl>how,bas>thing), shy(aoj>thing) )
bas ( prefer(aoj>volitional thing,bas>uw,obj>uw ), live(agt>person):02 )
plc ( live(agt>person):02, city(icl>region) )

Ten is three more than seven.
Betty weighs more than Jack (does).
A tulip is more beautiful than a rose  

John is more quiet than shy.

Many people prefer living in the country to living in a city
ben beneficiary
indicates an indirectly related beneficiary or victim of an event or state
ben ( be, thing )
ben ( do, thing )
ben ( occur, thing )
ben ( uw(aoj>thing), thing )
Detailed Definition
A beneficiary is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an event or state, and
UW2 – a thing,
where:
· UW2 is thought of as being indirectly affected by UW1, as the beneficiary or victim.
Examples and Readings
ben ( give(agt>thing,gol>thing,obj>thing), country(icl>region) )
ben ( good(aoj>thing), John(iof>person) )

To give onefs life for onefs country.
It is good for John to c
Related Relations
· A beneficiary is different from aoj in that aoj has a direct relation with the focused state or event and the focused state or event can be considered as describing the thing of aoj; Whereas a beneficiary is quite independent from a focused event or state, but this event or state can be considered as exerting a good or bad influence on the beneficiary.
cag co-agent
indicates a thing not in focus that initiates an implicit event that is done in parallel
cag ( do, thing )
cag ( action(icl>event), thing )
Detailed Definition
A co-agent is defined as the relation between:
UW1 - an action, and
UW2 - a thing
where:
· There is an implicit action that is independent of, but accompanies, UW1, and
· UW2 is thought of as initiating the implicit action, and
· UW2 and the implicit action are seen as not being in focus (as compared to the agentfs action.
Examples and Readings

cag ( walk(agt>volitional thing), John(iof>person) )
cag ( live(agt>volitional thing), aunt(icl>person) )

To walk with John
To live with c aunt
Related Relations
· A co-agent is different from agt in that differing independent actions occur for an agent and a co-agent. Moreover, an agent and its action are in focus, while a co-agent and its action are not in focus.
· A co-agent is different from the ptn in that the co-agent initiates an action that is independent of an agentfs action, whereas a partner initiates the same action together with an agent.
cao co-thing with attribute
indicates a thing not in focus that is in a parallel state

cao ( be, thing )
cao ( thing, thing )
cao ( uw(aoj>thing), thing )
Detailed Definition

A co-thing with an attribute is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – a state or a thing which represents a state, and
UW2 – a thing,
where:
· There is an implicit state that is independent of, but accompanies, UW1, and
· UW2 is associated with the implicit state.

Examples and readings

cao ( exist(aoj>thing), you )

be with you
Related Relations
· A co-thing with an attribute is different from aoj in that there is a different, independent state for the thing with an attribute and a co-thing with an attribute, respectively.
cnt content
indicates the content of a concept

cao ( uw, uw )
Detailed Definition
A content is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – a concept, and
UW2 – a concept,
where:
 · UW2 is the content or explanation of UW1.
Examples and Readings

cnt ( Internet(icl>communication network),amalgamation(icl>harmony) )
cnt ( language generator, deconverter.@double_quote )
cnt ( risk(icl>danger), :01 )
 obj:01 ( lose(aoj>thing,obj>thing)@entry, money(icl>mark) )

The Internet: an amalgamation
a language generator gdeconverterhc
 the risk of losing money
cob affected co-thing
indicates a thing that is directly affected by an implicit event done in parallel or an implicit state in parallel

cob ( be, thing )
cob ( do, thing )
cob ( occur, thing )
cob ( event(icl>abstract thing), thing )
cob ( uw(aoj>thing,obj>thing), thing )
Detailed Definition
A gco-objecth is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an event or state, and
UW2 – a thing,
where:
· UW2 is thought of as directly affected by an implicit event done in parallel or an implicit state in parallel.
Examples and Readings

cob ( die(obj>living thing), Mary(iof>person) )
obj ( injure(icl>hurt(agt>thing,obj>living thing)), John(iof>person) )
cob ( injure(icl>hurt(agt>thing,obj>living thing)), friend(icl>comrade).@pl )
pos ( friend(icl>comrade).@pl, he ) )

c dead with Mary
John was injured in the accident with his friends
Related Relations
· A co-object is different from obj in that the obj is in focus, whereas cob is related to a second, non-focused implicit event or state.
con condition
indicates a non-focused event or state that conditions a focused event or state

con ( be, uw )
con ( do, uw )
con ( occur, uw )
con ( uw(aoj>thing), uw )
Detailed Definition

A condition is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an event or state, and
UW2 – an event or state,
where:
· UW1 is a focused event or state, whereas
· UW2 is a conditioning event or state, and
· UW2 is thought of as having an indirect or external role in making UW1 happen, that is, as some conditioning or inhibiting factor (real or hypothesized) that influences whether or when UW1 can happen.

Examples and Readings

aoj:01 ( tired(aoj>thing), you )
con ( go(icl>move(agt>thing,gol>place,src>place)), :01 )

If you are tired, we will go straight home
coo effected co-thing
indicates a co-occurrent event or state for a focused event or state
coo ( be, be )
coo ( be, do )
coo ( be, occur )
coo ( be, thing )
coo ( be, uw(aoj>thing) )
coo ( do, be )
coo ( do, do )
coo ( do, occur )
coo ( do, thing )
coo ( do, uw(aoj>thing) )
coo ( occur, be )
coo ( occur, do )
coo ( occur, occur )
coo ( occur, thing )
coo ( occur, uw(aoj>thing) )
coo ( thing, be )
coo ( thing, do )
coo ( thing, occur )
coo ( thing, thing )
coo ( thing, uw(aoj>thing) )
coo ( uw(aoj>thing), be )
coo ( uw(aoj>thing), do )
coo ( uw(aoj>thing), occur )
coo ( uw(aoj>thing), thing )
coo ( uw(aoj>thing), uw(aoj>thing) )
Detailed Definition
A co-occurrence is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an event or state, and
UW2 – an event or state,
where:
· UW1 is a focused event or state, whereas
· UW2 is a co-occurrent event or state, and
· UW1 occurs or is true at the same time as UW2.
Examples and Readings

coo ( cry(icl>weep(agt>volitional thing)), run(icl>act(agt>volitional thing)) )
coo ( red(aoj>thing), hot(aoj>thing) )

c was crying while running
c is red while c is hot
Related Relations
· A co-occurrence is different from seq in that seq describes events or states that do not occur at the same time, but one after the other, whereas coo describes events that occur simultaneously.
· A co-occurrence is different from tim in that coo relates the times of events or states with other events or states, whereas tim relates events or states directly with points or intervals of time.
dur duration
indicates a period of time during which an event occurs or a state exists
dur ( be, do )
dur ( be, event(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( be, occur )
dur ( be, period(icl>time) )
dur ( be, state(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( be, thing )
dur ( be, uw(aoj>thing) )
dur ( do, do )
dur ( do, event(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( do, occur )
dur ( do, period(icl>time) )
dur ( do, state(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( do, thing )
dur ( do, uw(aoj>thing) )
dur ( occur, do )
dur ( occur, event(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( occur, occur )
dur ( occur, period(icl>time) )
dur ( occur, state(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( occur, thing )
dur ( occur, uw(aoj>thing) )
dur ( thing, do )
dur ( thing, event(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( thing, occur )
dur ( thing, period(icl>time) )
dur ( thing, state(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( thing, thing )
dur ( thing, uw(aoj>thing) )
dur ( uw(aoj>thing), do )
dur ( uw(aoj>thing), event(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( uw(aoj>thing), occur )
dur ( uw(aoj>thing), period(icl>time) )
dur ( uw(aoj>thing), state(icl>abstract thing) )
dur ( uw(aoj>thing), thing )
dur ( uw(aoj>thing), uw(aoj>thing) )
Detailed Definition

A duration is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an event or a state, and
UW2 – a period during which the event or state continues

Examples and Readings

dur ( work(agt>person), hour(icl>period) )
qua ( hour(icl>period), 9 )
dur ( talk(icl>express(agt>thing,gol>person,obj>thing), meeting(icl>event) )
dur ( come(icl>move(agt>thing,gol>place,src>place), absence(icl>state) )

c work nine hours (a day)

c talk c during meeting
c come during (my) absence
equ effected co-thing
indicates an equivalent concept

equ ( uw, uw )
Detailed Definition
An equivalent concept is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – a concept, and
UW2 – a concept,
where:
 · The UWs are different, and
 · UW2 is an equivalent concept of UW1.
Examples and Readings

equ ( deconverter, language generator.@parenthesis )

the deconverter (a language generator)
fmt range/from-to
indicates a range between two things

fmt ( thing, thing )
Detailed Definition

A range (from-to) is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – a range-initial thing, and
UW2 – a range-final thing,
where:
 · The UWs are different, and
 · UW2 describes the beginning of a range and UW1 describes the end.

Examples and Readings

fmt ( z(icl>letter), a(icl>letter) )
fmt ( New York(iof>city), Osaka(iof>city) )
fmt ( Friday(icl>day), Monday(icl>day) )

the alphabets from a to z
the distance from Osaka to New York
the weekdays from Monday to Friday
Related Relations
· A range is different from src and gol in that for src and gol the initial and final states of certain obj are characterized with respect to some event, whereas fmt makes a similar characterization but without linking the endpoints of a range to some event.
 · A range is different from plf and plt or tmf and tmt in that fmt defines endpoints of a range without reference to any sort of event, whereas plf, plt, tmf and tmt delimit events.
frm origin
indicates an initial state of a thing or a thing initially associated with the focused thing

frm ( thing, thing )
frm ( thing, uw(aoj>thing) )
Detailed Definition

An origin is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – a thing, and
UW2 – a state or a thing than can be seen as origin of the thing,
where:
 · The UWs are different, and
 · UW1 is the focused thing, and
 · UW2 is the initial state describing the focused thing UW1, or
 · UW2 is a thing that is initially associated with the UW1, origin such as the original position of UW1.

Examples and Readings

frm ( visitor(icl>person), Japan(iof>country)

a visitor from Japan
Related Relations
· An origin is different from src in that src is a relation used with an event or a state, whereas frm is directly linked to a thing. For instance, ga visitor from Japanh is expressed as gfrm ( visitor(icl>person), Japan(iof>country) )h, whereas ga visitor came from Japanh is expressed as gsrc (come(agt>thing), Japan(iof>country))h and gagt (come(agt>thing), visitor(icl>person) )h.
gol goal/final state
indicates a final state of object or a thing finally associated with the object of an event

gol ( be(aoj>thing,gol>thing), thing )
gol ( do, thing )
gol ( do, uw(aoj>thing) )
gol ( occur, thing )
gol ( occur, uw(aoj>thing) )
gol ( event(icl>abstract thing), thing )
Detailed Definition

A final state is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an event, and
UW2 – a state or thing,
where:
 · UW2 is the specific state describing the obj (of UW1) at the end of UW1, or
 · UW2 is a thing that is associated with the obj (of UW1) and the end of UW1.

Examples and Readings

gol ( change(gol>thing,obj>thing,src>thing), red(aoj>thing) )
gol ( deposit(agt>thing,gol>thing,obj>thing), account(icl>record) )

the lights changed from green to red
 millions were deposited in a Swiss bank account
Related Relations
A final state is different from tmf and plf in that gol describes qualitative characteristics and not time nor place related to an event.
icl included/a kind of
indicates an upper concept or a more general concept

icl ( uw, uw )
Detailed Definition

An upper concept or a more general concept is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – a class concept, and
UW2 – a class concept,
where:
 · The UWs are different, and
 · UW2 is an upper or more general class concept of UW1, i.e.
 · UW1 is a subset concept of UW2, and UW1 inherits UW2fs property.

Examples and Readings

icl ( bird(icl>animal), animal(icl>living thing) )

a bird is a (kind of) animal
ins instrument
indicates an instrument to carry out an event

ins ( do, concrete thing )
Detailed Definition

An instrument is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an event, and
UW2 – a concrete thing,
where:
 · UW2 specifies the concrete thing that is used in order to make UW1 happen.

Examples and Readings

ins ( look(agt>thing,obj>thing), telescope(icl>optical instrument) )
ins ( write(agt>thing,obj>thing), pencil(icl>stationery) )
ins ( cut(agt>thing,obj>thing,opl>thing), scissors(icl>cutley) )

look at stars through a telescope
write [draw] with a pencil
 He cut the string with a pair of scissors
Related Relations

· An instrument is different from man in that man describes an event as a whole, whereas ins characterizes one of the components of the event: the use of the instrument. And, a manner is an abstract thing whereas an instrument is a concrete thing.
 · An instrument is different from met in that met is used for abstract things (abstract means or methods), whereas ins is used for concrete things.
int intersection
indicates all common instances to have with a partner concept

int ( uw, uw )
Detailed Definition

An intersection is taken between:
UW1 – a class concept, and
UW2 – another class concept,
where:
 · The UWs are different, and
 · UW1 and UW2 have common instances.
Examples and Readings

int ( tableware(icl>tool), cookware(icl>tool)) )

an intersection of tableware and cookware
Related Relations

· An intersection is different from and and or in that as a logical operator and makes a union, or makes differences, whereas int makes an intersection.
iof an instance of
indicates a class concept that an instance belongs to

iof ( uw, uw )
Detailed Definition

A class concept is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an instance, and
UW2 – a class concept,
where:
 · The UWs are different, and
 · UW2 is a class concept that UW1 belongs to, i.e.
 · UW1 is an instance of UW2, and UW1 inherits UW2fs property.

Examples and Readings

iof ( Tokyo(iof>city), city in Japan )

Tokyo is a city in Japan
man manner
indicates a way to carry out an event or the characteristics of a state

man ( be, how )
man ( do, how )
man ( occur, how )
man ( uw(aoj>thing), how )
Detailed Definition

A gmannerh is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an event or state, and
UW2 – a manner,
where:
 · UW1 is done or exists in a way characterized by UW2.

Examples and Readings

man ( move(agt<thing,gol>place,src>place), quickly )
man ( visit(agt>thing,obj>thing), often )
man ( beautiful, very(icl>how) )

move quickly
I often visit him.
 it is very beautiful.
Related Relations

· A manner is different from ins or met in that ins describes how an event is carried out in terms of the instruments, met describes how an event is carried out in terms of the component steps of the event, whereas man describes other quantitative or qualitative characteristics of the event as a whole.
met method/means
indicates a means to carry out an event

met ( do, abstract thing )
met ( do, do )
Detailed Definition

A gmethod or meansh is defined as the relation between:
UW1 – an action, and
UW2 – an abstract thing or an action,
where:
 · UW2 specifies the abstract thing used or the steps carried out in order to make UW1 happen.

Examples and Readings

met ( solve(icl>resolve(agt>thing,obj>thing)), dynamics(icl>science) )
met ( solve(icl> resolve(agt>thing,obj>thing)), algorithm(icl>method) )
met ( separate(agt>thing,obj>thing,src>thing)), cut(agt>thing,obj>thing,opl>thing) )

c solve c with dynamics
c solve c using c algorithm
 c separate c by cutting c
Related Relations

· A method or means is different from man in that man describes an event as a whole, whereas met characterizes the component steps or procedures of an action.
 · A method or means is different from ins in that met is used for abstract things (abstract means or methods), whereas ins is used for concrete things
mod modification
indicates a thing that restricts a focused thing

mod ( thing, thing )