Page 220 - DLIS402_INFORMATION_ANALYSIS_AND_REPACKAGING

Unit 11: Indexing Language: Types and Characteristics

the thesaurus refer to processes or properties of apples, the singular form is generally used. In the Notes
few cases where the terms were countable nouns, the plural form is used. A large number of our
terms are adjectival or noun phrases because we needed to distinguish between the possible uses
for many of the descriptors (for describing aroma and taste, for example).

Relationship Structures
The Apple Thesaurus makes use of three different kinds of relationships, as outlined in sections
5.2–5.4 in the ANSI/NISO standards.
Equivalence: The use of equivalence relationships means that the Apple Thesaurus contains both
preferred and non-preferred terms. In most cases, thesaurus terms with equivalence relationships
are synonyms for the same concept. In a few cases, the equivalence relationship is a lexical variant.
For example “colour” (Canadian spelling) is the preferred term and “color” (American spelling) is
the non-preferred term. The following example illustrates how preferred and non-preferred terms
are displayed in the thesaurus:
firm flesh texture
USE:
hard flesh texture
hard flesh texture
UF:
firm flesh texture
Hierarchical: The Apple Thesaurus makes use of hierarchical relationships, which are based on
degrees of superordination and subordination. The standard BT (Broader Term) and NT (Narrower
Term) are used to show these relationships. Node labels have been used throughout the thesaurus
to show hierarchical relationships. Node labels can be recognized as follows: <node label>. The
following example illustrates how hierarchical relationships are displayed in the thesaurus:
flowery aroma
BT:
<aroma>
<aroma>
UF:
<scent>
<smell>
BT:
<properties>
NT:
flowery aroma
fragrant aroma
fresh aroma
fruity aroma
light aroma
musky aroma
perfumed aroma
spicy aroma
strong aroma

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 215