In this unit we deal with words and concepts. More specifically, we shall learn some facts about differences, similarities and the overlapping among words, concepts and their respective relations with the codification of meaning.

We will also be introduced into how ontological material is represented for linguistic applications and the differences and similarities between general linguistic representations and specific representations for linguistic applications proper.

Because dictionaries are made up of words, we need to understand how words are formed. In this unit some basic notions about the different levels of linguistic analysis are outlined. Special attention is paid to Morphology and its interaction with Semantics is revised. In addition, we will tentatively see how this interconnection can be applied to linguistic studies of different kinds. For example, the morphological analysis of languages is involved in the creation and development of corpora, thesauri and lexical and conceptual databases. Some basic morphological notions are also introduced, as a key to understand word formation phenomena.

In this unit we review some basic notions about morphology and its units of analysis. Also, in line with unit 2, it is seen how this interconnection can be applied in linguistic studies of different kinds, especially to classify languages into more or less productive and as analytic or synthetic, or to build up lexicological databases and/or corpora. In this sense, a deep analysis of the interconnection between morphology and semantics (known as semantic morphology) is needed to establish the position of morphology in the fields of computational linguistics and computational semantics. Both disciplines are necessary when it comes to building up lexicological and terminological databases. An example of such type of databases, dealing with Old English is Nerthus: a lexicological database of Old English.

What is morphology? According to Aronoff and Fudeman (2011), the term morphology is attributed to the German poet, novelist, playwright, and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), who coined it in the early XIXth century in a biological context. The term comes from the Greek root morph-, which means ‘form’. Thus, Morphology is the study of forms. In Biology it refers to the study of form and structure in living organisms, and in Linguistics it is the branch of the discipline that studies the components of words: their internal structure, and how they are formed. This is the reason why some studies within morphology are focused on what has been called word grammar

The main objectives of this unit are the following: Firstly, to review some basic notions related to the writing of dictionaries and the problems involved in the definition of a lexical entry. Secondly, the links between the shape of a dictionary entry and different theories of meaning will also be retaken and discussed.

The objectives of this unit are three. Firstly, to reflect upon the idea that knowledge representation is related to language but it can also be language independent; secondly, to review the relationships and differences between lexical representation and meaning representation; and, finally, to go through some of the different types of ontologies available, according to how they represent meaning and knowledge.

If units 1 and 2 deal with differences, similarities and overlapping among words, concepts and their respective relation with the codification of meaning, this unit studies the configuration of digital ontologies, dictionaries, thesauruses and glossaries.