JurWordNet
As for the other WordNets, this is
a semantic lexicon, that is, a lexicon where the meaning
of a term is defined and explained by computer programs.
The synsets
making up the net represent the concepts: they amount to all the
terms expressing the same concept (house, home, dwelling domicile…),
linked by a semantic relation verging on synonymy. In fact, these
are word classes based on the same meaning, and representing a
concept or an individual (instances).
JurWordNet is a terminology
lexicon linked as special resource to the generic resource (IWN)
of common Italian. Apart from having taxonomic vertical relations,
the synsets of law lexicon also have associative horizontal relations,
whereas the semantic equivalence ones are limited (variants):
this is common to many terminology lexicons abounding in technical
terms, and where synonyms are rare. Conversely, it is important
to create relations of equivalence with common Italian in legal
language, (Links between legal wordnet and generic wordnet), in
order to make up for the imprecision of non-experts when searching
for legal information, and using terms out of the common language
instead of juridical terminology. Disambiguation of polysemies
in terminology lexicon should be considered extensively, as a
distinction of the common meaning from the technical one. In legal
language, there are very few terms expressing instances instead
of classes (President of the Republic, Finance Minister, Head
of Government,…)
Consistent with all
WordNet projects, the developing methodology of the net favors
the use and harmonization of already existing lexicon resources.
Relevant ideas have been spotted bottom-up, taking the
terms from the questions of legal information systems. In particular
the lists of the Italgiure/Find system, the largest Italian law
information system, developed by the Court of Cassation, produced:
From syntagms, the
taxonomy was automatically created with the main term, and the
top levels of the trees derived from it, using, in a partially
automatic mode, the dictionary glosses. The horizontal connection
of concepts and the disambiguation of meanings were carried out
by hand. At this point there is a sufficiently-consolidated corpus
of about 2000 synsets, which will be almost automatically increased
through the link with thesauri and describers for juridical databanks.
Syntagm management
is based on practical criteria of efficient research: they are
considered hyponyms of the main term, but when the link is not
relevant, the syntagm is connected with the other synsets through
different semantic relations. For instance, hearing minutes
is not connected to minutes but to hearing, by a
role relation (in particular: Means – to). This does
not mean that all hyponyms are strictly subsets of a higher term;
for instance, besides lease contract as subclass of contract,
we find valid contract, sham contract…).
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