---
title: "The Representation of Concepts in OWL"
authors:
  - "L. Hawkinson"
doi: ""
url: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1975/17"
pdf: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1975/0017.pdf"
venue: "Proceedings of the Fourth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence"
year: 1975
pages: "107-113"
track: "Representation Of Problems and Knowledge"
keywords:
---

# The Representation of Concepts in OWL

L. Hawkinson

*Proceedings of the Fourth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence*, pages 107-113.

## Abstract

This paper discusses the theoretical basis of the for.allsa used as a foundation for OWL, a systea for representing and processing conceptual knowledge. This foraallsa atteapts to capture the expressive power of natural language by adopting the underlying representational conventions and "conceptual aodels" of English. The foraallsa is built around specialization, which ls perceived to be the key organizing principle of English at a deep conceptual level. The use of specialization in coabinatlon with another low-level structural device, reference, leads to a staple but powerful structure, the concept, which \s ideal both for the representation of a broad spectrua of conceptual knowledge and for coaputatlon on existing .achines equipped with large, high-speed, randoa-access aeaories.