A Model for Representing Diachronic Terminologies: the Saussure Case Study

The aim of this article is to present a model for representing in an explicit and formal way the diachronic evolution of concepts and terms in a given domain, so that this formalization can be machine-actionable. The approach we here propose is based on Semantic Web technologies in order to guarantee interoperability and reuse across scientific communities of diachronic terminological resources that can be thus easily accessed, interconnected and mutually enriched. More specifically, the representation of dynamic evolution of terms and concepts was performed in OWL using the N-ary relations mechanisms. In addition, a set of SWRL rules was set up, in order to automatically identify the evolution of the concepts evoked within a text, as well as the terms representing these concepts. Our model was adopted to formally represent diachronic aspects of Saussure's terminology as they emerge from his works. An example will be provided to highlight the potential of such a knowledge structuration for gaining a wider understanding of the profound terminological and conceptual changes brought about by the paradigmatic and epistemological revolutions in sciences.