AFS - Ethnographic Thesaurus

Structure of the Thesaurus

Subject Categories in the Ethnographic Thesaurus
Terms and their Relationships in the Ethnographic Thesaurus

Subject Categories in the Ethnographic Thesaurus

The Ethnographic Thesaurus consists of groups of terms sharing similar characteristics and organized into hierarchies. These hierarchies are organized around 24 subject categories. Each category has a top term and includes terms and phrases that are hierarchically related and subordinate to the top term. For example, HATS, BOOTS, PONCHOS, BONNETS, and TURBANS all belong to the CLOTHING subject category, no matter what other characteristics some of them may have, such as MASONIC APRONS, which are also related to RITUAL. Often the terms in a category can be divided into sub-categories according to secondary organizing characteristics. Consequently, within the CLOTHING category, HATS and BONNETS fall under the sub-category of HEADWEAR; whereas BOOTS are a sub-category found under the term FOOTWEAR. These terms are all included in the CLOTHING sub-category belonging to MATERIAL CULTURE.

The following is an illustration of how terms are arranged hierarchically in the Ethnographic Thesaurus:

MATERIAL CULTURE
	CLOTHING
		HEADWEAR
			HARDHATS
			HATS WITH BRIMS
				BOWLER HATS
				SUNBONNETS
				TOP HATS
			HATS WITHOUT BRIMS
				BONNETS
				TURBANS

		FOOTWEAR
			BOOTS
				COWBOY BOOTS
				GALOSHES

Similarly, HARPS, FLUTES, FADO, and BALLADS (MUSIC) belong to the subject category of MUSIC. Within the MUSIC category, HARPS and FLUTES fall under the sub-category of MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; and FADO and BALLADS (MUSIC) belong under that portion of MUSIC called VOCAL TRADITIONAL MUSIC.

MUSIC
	VOCAL TRADITIONAL MUSIC
		BALLADS (MUSIC)
			BLUES BALLADS
			BROADSIDE BALLADS
			CORRIDOS
			TRADITIONAL BALLADS (BRITISH)
		FADO
		MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
		FLUTES
		HARPS

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Terms and their Relationships in the Ethnographic Thesaurus

The Ethnographic Thesaurus is organized to help find terms in the many subject areas of ethnography using hierarchical and reference relationships.

Preferred/Non-preferred Terms

Terms displayed in the Ethnographic Thesaurus are either preferred (intended for use in indexing or searching) or non-preferred (sometimes called USE, SEE, or USE FOR references). Non-preferred terms are usually synonyms, quasi-synonyms, or terms deemed to be too specific for inclusion as preferred terms in the thesaurus. The Ethnographic Thesaurus provides references from non-preferred terms to the appropriate preferred term.

Qualifiers

Qualifiers are words in parentheses following terms that clarify their meaning and use within the thesaurus, often for control of ambiguity.

Examples:

FABLIAUX (POETRY)
FABLIAUX (TALE)

QUINTETS (ENSEMBLES)
QUINTETS (MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS)

Qualifiers also may be added to indicate the context of a term, if the term alone does not convey a specific meaning.

Examples:

TEST PRESSINGS (SOUND RECORDINGS)

SKELETON RACING (SLEDDING)

KNOCKERS (SUPERNATURAL BEINGS)

LIQUIDS (LINGUISTICS)

Post-coordinated terms

Many ethnographic concepts are combinations of two or more simple terms. For example, skits might include children's skits, the skits of miners, bilingual women's skits, mime skits, or school skits for holidays - the combinations are endless, and a thesaurus could never list all "skit" combinations. The Ethnographic Thesaurus solves this problem through "post-coordination," which means that users may combine simple terms from various parts of the thesaurus to express a more complex concept:

SKITS +  CHILDREN
SKITS +  MINERS
SKITS +  WOMEN + BILINGUALISM
SKITS +  MIME
SKITS +  SCHOOLS + HOLIDAYS

As other examples, the term POPULAR MUSIC CONTESTS is not in the Ethnographic Thesaurus, but both the terms CONTESTS and POPULAR MUSIC can be combined to cover this concept.

Pre-coordinated Terms

The Ethnographic Thesaurus does, however, include a number of concepts that are made up of two or more simple terms. These are called "pre-coordinated terms." Pre-coordinated terms reflect a concept that would be difficult to reconstruct using post-coordination. They are the exceptions to the general rule of post-coordination for complex concepts:

CULTIVATED VEGETATION AREAS

HUMAN SETTLEMENT PLANNING

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PERFORMANCE

INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCE

Reference Structure

One of the important functions of a thesaurus is to show the interrelatedness of its terms.

The Ethnographic Thesaurus shows the following relationships within its reference structure:

Non-preferred terms are synonyms or similar terms that are not used in the thesaurus as preferred terms, but point to the preferred form or forms of the term. For example, WIND INSTRUMENTS and WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS are shown as UF terms for AEROPHONES. This means that the term AEROPHONES is the preferred term for use in the thesaurus, and should be used for indexing or searching instead of the non-preferred terms WIND INSTRUMENTS and WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS.

Broader Term refers to a more general preferred term one level higher in the hierarchy than the term in question. FOOD CATEGORIES is a Broader Term for the term COOKED FOOD.

Narrower Terms include all preferred terms that are one level lower in the hierarchy than the term in question. For instance, LACE MAKING is a Narrower Term of the term NEEDLEWORK (MATERIAL CULTURE).

Related Term refers to another preferred term in the thesaurus related to the original term that was searched, but that may also be of interest to the user. In the hierarchical view of the thesaurus, a related term in another facet is shown as one or more Related Terms. The notational code for each related term follows the term in parentheses.

Scope Notes

Where necessary, preferred terms are provided with Scope Notes to indicate how they should be used within the context of the thesaurus and to provide guidance on their use. Scope notes are included primarily for ambiguous or unfamiliar terms--they are not intended to provide dictionary definitions and are not included for all terms.

Examples:

CRYPTOZOOLOGICAL ANIMALS
Scope Note: Use for animals hypothesized to exist, for whom conclusive proof is missing, or for known animals believed to be extinct. Cryptozoological animals include such creatures as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Kraken, and Sasquatch.

ROSMALING
Scope Note: A style of Norwegian decorative painting, most often done on wooden objects.

FORMULA TALES
Scope Note: Tales of minimal narrative structure with a simple central situation as the basis for the working out of a narrative pattern; the importance of the narrative lies in its pattern, not in the events recounted.

DIASPORAS
Scope Note: The dispersal of cultural or ethnic groups, whether forced or not, from their original homeland to other parts of the world.

DIPLOMACY
Scope Note: Use for personal or political diplomacy.