Conceptual modeling by analogy and metaphor

Metaphor is not merely a rhetorical device, characteristic of language alone, but rather a fundamental feature of the human conceptual system. A metaphor is understood by finding an analogy mapping between two domains. This paper argues that analogy mappings facilitate conceptual modeling by allowing the designer to reinterpret fragments of familiar conceptual models in other contexts. The contributions of the paper are expressed within the tradition of the Entity-Relation model. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.2.1 [Database Management]: Logical Design – Data models, Schema and subschema. General Terms Design, Standardization, Languages. Keywords Metaphor, analogy, entity-relationship model

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: CIKM
• Authors: Karin Koogan Breitman, Simone Diniz Junqueira Barbosa, Marco A. Casanova, Antonio L. Furtado
• Keywords: Analogy Mappings, CIKM 2007, Familiar Conceptual Models, Human Conceptual System