ISO/TS 24620-1:2015

Language resource management — Controlled natural language (CNL) — Part 1: Basic concepts and principles

As part of a drive to provide international standards for language resource management, ISO/TS 24620-1:2015 on controlled natural language (CNL) sets out the principles of CNL and its utilization together with the relevant supporting technology. However, ISO/TS 24620-1:2015 also aims to introduce a general view of CNL with its objectives and characteristics and provide a scheme for classifying a range of CNLs. ISO/TS 24620-1:2015 additionally specifies certain normalizing principles of CNLs that control the use of natural languages in particular domains and are also oriented towards areas of practical application. These areas include public administrative communications, search optimization, and the management of automatic question-answering systems, but the current version of ISO/TStract 24620-1:2015 does not address any issue involving these applications directly.

Gestion des ressources linguistiques — Langage naturel contrôlé (CNL) — Partie 1: Notions de base et principes

Upravljanje z jezikovnimi viri - Nadzorovani naravni jezik (CNL) - 1. del: Osnovni pojmi in načela

Kot del težnje k zagotavljanju mednarodnih standardov za upravljanje z jezikovnimi viri ta del standarda ISO 24620 o nadzorovanem naravnem jeziku (CNL) določa načela nadzorovanega naravnega jezika in njegove uporabe skupaj z zadevno podporno tehnologijo. Cilj tega dela standarda ISO 24620 je tudi predstavitev splošnega pogleda na nadzorovani naravni jezik z njegovimi cilji in lastnostmi ter podajanje sheme za razvrstitev različnih nadzorovanih naravnih jezikov.
Poleg tega ta del standarda ISO 24620 določa tudi nekatera načela normalizacije nadzorovanih naravnih jezikov, ki nadzorujejo uporabo naravnih jezikov v posebnih domenah in se usmerjajo tudi na področja praktične uporabe.
Ta področja vključujejo javno upravno komuniciranje, optimizacijo iskanja in upravljanje samodejnih sistemov za vprašanja in odgovore, vendar pa trenutna različica tega dela standarda ISO 24620 ne obravnava nobenih vprašanj, ki se neposredno nanašajo na te načine uporabe.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 17-Mar-2015
• ICS: 01.140.20 - Information sciences
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 37/SC 4 - Language resource management
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 37/SC 4/WG 5 - Workflow of language resource management
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Completion Date: 04-Mar-2023
• Ref Project: SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017 - Language resource management -- Controlled natural language (CNL) -- Part 1: Basic concepts and principles

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
01-september-2017
Upravljanje z jezikovnimi viri - Nadzorovani naravni jezik (CNL) - 1. del: Osnovni
pojmi in načela
Language resource management -- Controlled natural language (CNL) -- Part 1: Basic
concepts and principles
Gestion des ressources linguistiques -- Langage naturel contrôlé (CNL) -- Partie 1:
Notions de base et principes
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO/TS 24620-1:2015
ICS:
01.020 Terminologija (načela in Terminology (principles and
koordinacija) coordination)
01.140.20 Informacijske vede Information sciences
SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017 en
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
TECHNICAL ISO/TS
SPECIFICATION 24620-1
First edition
2015-03-15
Language resource management —
Controlled natural language (CNL) —
Part 1:
Basic concepts and principles
Gestion des ressources linguistiques — Langage naturel contrôlé
(CNL) —
Partie 1: Notions de base et principes
Reference number
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)
©
ISO 2015

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2015
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Terms and definitions . 1
3 General view of controlled natural language . 4
3.1 Overview . 4
3.2 Properties of controlled natural languages . 4
3.3 Controlled natural languages compared with natural languages . 5
3.4 Controlled natural languages compared with special-purpose languages . 5
3.5 Criteria of adequacy. 5
4 Benefits and usages of controlled natural language . 6
4.1 Applications of controlled natural language . 6
4.2 Users of controlled natural language . 6
4.3 Benefits of controlled natural language . 6
5 Levels of restricting controlled natural languages . 7
5.1 Overview . 7
5.2 Linguistic levels . 7
5.3 Extra-linguistic levels . 7
5.4 Classification of controlled natural languages . 7
6 General principles of controlled natural language . 7
6.1 Two viewpoints of principles for controlled natural language . 7
6.2 Different orientations for the principles of controlled natural language . 7
7 Concluding remarks . 8
Bibliography . 9
© ISO 2015 – All rights reserved iii

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any
patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on
the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 37, Terminology and other language and content
resources, Subcommittee SC 4, Language resource management.
ISO 24620 consists of the following parts, under the general title Language resource management —
Controlled natural language (CNL):
— Part 1: Basic concepts and principles
iv © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

Introduction
The long history of the study of controlled natural language (CNL) has proved its effectiveness
especially in technical documentation, technical communication, and business communication. In time,
CNL has come to be applied in different ways in such fields as information management, librarianship,
terminology management, and legal documents. Its commercial impact was established in the 1990s due
to its effectiveness in information and communication technology applications like machine translation
and mobile communication. Moreover, ‘text simplification’, a major task of CNL, promotes efficient
communication with regard to all kinds of language use on the web. An example of this is the simplified
English Wikipedia.
This part of ISO 24620 aims both to define major concepts related to CNL and to outline the scope of CNL
and its various applications in relation to language resource management. These include the following:
a) the pre-editing of texts for CNL in preparation for machine translation;
b) the development of new or the re-use of existing controlled vocabularies for CNL;
c) the structuring and harmonization of content for content management;
d) technical writing including the formulation of standards;
e) facilitating communication with and for persons with disabilities (PWD), for instance, in ambient
assisted living (AAL) or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
In this connection, special attention is given to aspects of interoperability: from technical interoperability
through semantic interoperability to content interoperability. As a Technical Specification (TS), this
part of ISO 24620 identifies the following:
— the environments of CNL used for the purposes and applications of all kinds (e.g. computer-assisted
technical writing);
— the relationships to language resource management and related systems;
— the potential for new applications (e.g. in the processes, whether manual or automatic, of knowledge
acquisition and knowledge fusion based on and linked to the web).
This part of ISO 24620 is the first in a planned series of International Standards on CNL. Subsequent
parts will focus on issues specific to particular viewpoints and/or applications such as particular CNLs,
CNL interfaces, the implementation of CNLs, and evaluation techniques for CNL.
© ISO 2015 – All rights reserved v

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)
Language resource management — Controlled natural
language (CNL) —
Part 1:
Basic concepts and principles
1 Scope
As part of a drive to provide international standards for language resource management, this part of
ISO 24620 on controlled natural language (CNL) sets out the principles of CNL and its utilization together
with the relevant supporting technology. However, this part of ISO 24620 also aims to introduce a general
view of CNL with its objectives and characteristics and provide a scheme for classifying a range of CNLs.
This part of ISO 24620 additionally specifies certain normalizing principles of CNLs that control the use
of natural languages in particular domains and are also oriented towards areas of practical application.
These areas include public administrative communications, search optimization, and the management
of automatic question-answering systems, but the current version of this part of ISO 24620 does not
address any issue involving these applications directly.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
artificial language
language (2.11) that has been specifically devised for some applications
Note 1 to entry: The grammar of an artificial language is formulated systematically for some specific purposes of
its used in practical applications especially in the area of human or human-machine communications.
2.2
authoring
writing a document such as a report, manual, article, or book
2.3
comprehension
understanding the content (2.4) of a document
2.4
content
information content
information contained in or conveyed by a language (2.11), which can be in a written, spoken, or some
other forms such as images
2.5
content management
controlling the content (2.4) of a text (2.21) or the media in general
while analysing or revising it
Note 1 to entry: This includes version control of revised documents, contents in versions of similar documents,
and the management of relations between items in a document.
© ISO 2015 – All rights reserved 1

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

2.6
controlled natural language
controlled language
CNL
subset of natural languages (2.12) whose grammars and dictionaries have been restricted in order to
reduce or eliminate both ambiguity and complexity
Note 1 to entry: As a generic, CNL is an uncountable noun that refers to the abstract properties of all controlled
natural languages and not to a particular natural language or application for a specific purpose. It is engineered
(i.e. constructed) with a view to reducing or eliminating ambiguity and complexity and aims both to make it
easier for human readers [particularly non-native users, non-experts, and people with limited comprehension
(2.3)] to read a text (2.21) and to improve the computational processing of a text.
Note 2 to entry: CNL is an engineered (i.e. constructed) language that is based on a particular natural language,
but is more restrictive as regards lexicon, syntax, or semantics, while at the same time preserving most of its
natural properties. Here, CNL is a countable noun.
2.7
controlled vocabulary
CV
list of lexical or phrasal items that are selected for the purpose of improving readability (2.15) in a
particular domain
Note 1 to entry: Controlled vocabulary is also used in a more specific sense in applications such as
a)  the field of information and documentation, where it is defined as a ‘list of words or phrases authorized for
indexing’ [SOURCE: ISO 5127:2001(en), 4.2.2.1.03], and
b)  in the field of health informatics, where it is defined as a ‘finite set of values that represent the only allowed
values for a data item’ [SOURCE: CDISC Clinical Research Glossary version 8.0, 2009]. In the field of health
informatics, these values may be codes, text, or numeric [SOURCE: ISO 11616:2012(en), 3.1.7].
Note 2 to entry: Most controlled vocabularies target a specific, narrow domain. Unlike CNL, they do not deal with
grammatical issues (i.e. how to combine the terms needed to write complete sentences), but a good number of CNL
approaches, especially domain-specific ones, include controlled vocabularies.
2.8
cooperative work
activity or result of working together to achieve the same goal
Note 1 to entry: Work carried out by more than one person in a collaborative way (e.g. technical writers and
editors putting together a manual).
2.9
formal language
language (2.11) that has been devised for logical inferences or programming applications with a finite list
of symbols and a finite set of formation rules based on these symbols that define well-formed sentences
and also with a system that interprets these sentences
2.10
interoperability
achievement of partial or total compatibility between heterogeneous
data models by the mapping of metadata
2.11
language
system of signs paired with meanings, thus, being used as a means of conveying information
2 © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

2.12
natural language
NL
language (2.11) with its origin unknown, but continuously developing sometimes in idiosyncratic ways
as is used conventionally for human communications
2.13
linguistic structure
composition of a language (2.11) at the level of sound, word, phrase, sentence, meaning, and discourse
Note 1 to entry: The science of language is understood to consist of phonology (sound), morphology (word units),
syntax (sentential structure), semantics (meaning, information), and pragmatics (discourse, context).
2.14
pre-editing
modification of a text (2.21) before it is submitted to a specific processing (e.g. machine translation)
2.15
readability
ease of processing a text (2.21) for its comprehension (2.3)
2.16
re-use
use a document or data for purposes in addition to those for which it was originally designed
Note 1 to entry: Ability to use existing documents for new documents. This includes making a product manual for
a new version of the product and one for a similar version.
2.17
rewriting
producing a new version of a text (2.21) by changing its lexical, sentential, or textual structures while
keeping its original content (2.4)
2.18
simplification
process of reducing complexity
Note 1 to entry: A procedure such as simplified language(2.19) that makes content (2.4) simpler.
2.19
simplified language
language (2.11) generated through a simplification (2.18) process
2.20
special language
special-purpose language
SPL
language (2.11) used in a subject-specific field and also characterized by the use of specific linguistic
means of expression
Note 1 to entry: The stricter the conventions of an SPL are systematized and made obligatory, the more they
converge with CNL.
2.21
text
data in the form of characters, symbols, words, phrases, paragraphs, sentences, tables, or other
character arrangements intended to convey a meaning and whose interp
...

TECHNICAL ISO/TS
SPECIFICATION 24620-1
First edition
2015-03-15
Language resource management —
Controlled natural language (CNL) —
Part 1:
Basic concepts and principles
Gestion des ressources linguistiques — Langage naturel contrôlé
(CNL) —
Partie 1: Notions de base et principes
Reference number
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)
©
ISO 2015

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2015
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Terms and definitions . 1
3 General view of controlled natural language . 4
3.1 Overview . 4
3.2 Properties of controlled natural languages . 4
3.3 Controlled natural languages compared with natural languages . 5
3.4 Controlled natural languages compared with special-purpose languages . 5
3.5 Criteria of adequacy. 5
4 Benefits and usages of controlled natural language . 6
4.1 Applications of controlled natural language . 6
4.2 Users of controlled natural language . 6
4.3 Benefits of controlled natural language . 6
5 Levels of restricting controlled natural languages . 7
5.1 Overview . 7
5.2 Linguistic levels . 7
5.3 Extra-linguistic levels . 7
5.4 Classification of controlled natural languages . 7
6 General principles of controlled natural language . 7
6.1 Two viewpoints of principles for controlled natural language . 7
6.2 Different orientations for the principles of controlled natural language . 7
7 Concluding remarks . 8
Bibliography . 9
© ISO 2015 – All rights reserved iii

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any
patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on
the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 37, Terminology and other language and content
resources, Subcommittee SC 4, Language resource management.
ISO 24620 consists of the following parts, under the general title Language resource management —
Controlled natural language (CNL):
— Part 1: Basic concepts and principles
iv © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

Introduction
The long history of the study of controlled natural language (CNL) has proved its effectiveness
especially in technical documentation, technical communication, and business communication. In time,
CNL has come to be applied in different ways in such fields as information management, librarianship,
terminology management, and legal documents. Its commercial impact was established in the 1990s due
to its effectiveness in information and communication technology applications like machine translation
and mobile communication. Moreover, ‘text simplification’, a major task of CNL, promotes efficient
communication with regard to all kinds of language use on the web. An example of this is the simplified
English Wikipedia.
This part of ISO 24620 aims both to define major concepts related to CNL and to outline the scope of CNL
and its various applications in relation to language resource management. These include the following:
a) the pre-editing of texts for CNL in preparation for machine translation;
b) the development of new or the re-use of existing controlled vocabularies for CNL;
c) the structuring and harmonization of content for content management;
d) technical writing including the formulation of standards;
e) facilitating communication with and for persons with disabilities (PWD), for instance, in ambient
assisted living (AAL) or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
In this connection, special attention is given to aspects of interoperability: from technical interoperability
through semantic interoperability to content interoperability. As a Technical Specification (TS), this
part of ISO 24620 identifies the following:
— the environments of CNL used for the purposes and applications of all kinds (e.g. computer-assisted
technical writing);
— the relationships to language resource management and related systems;
— the potential for new applications (e.g. in the processes, whether manual or automatic, of knowledge
acquisition and knowledge fusion based on and linked to the web).
This part of ISO 24620 is the first in a planned series of International Standards on CNL. Subsequent
parts will focus on issues specific to particular viewpoints and/or applications such as particular CNLs,
CNL interfaces, the implementation of CNLs, and evaluation techniques for CNL.
© ISO 2015 – All rights reserved v

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)
Language resource management — Controlled natural
language (CNL) —
Part 1:
Basic concepts and principles
1 Scope
As part of a drive to provide international standards for language resource management, this part of
ISO 24620 on controlled natural language (CNL) sets out the principles of CNL and its utilization together
with the relevant supporting technology. However, this part of ISO 24620 also aims to introduce a general
view of CNL with its objectives and characteristics and provide a scheme for classifying a range of CNLs.
This part of ISO 24620 additionally specifies certain normalizing principles of CNLs that control the use
of natural languages in particular domains and are also oriented towards areas of practical application.
These areas include public administrative communications, search optimization, and the management
of automatic question-answering systems, but the current version of this part of ISO 24620 does not
address any issue involving these applications directly.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
artificial language
language (2.11) that has been specifically devised for some applications
Note 1 to entry: The grammar of an artificial language is formulated systematically for some specific purposes of
its used in practical applications especially in the area of human or human-machine communications.
2.2
authoring
writing a document such as a report, manual, article, or book
2.3
comprehension
understanding the content (2.4) of a document
2.4
content
information content
information contained in or conveyed by a language (2.11), which can be in a written, spoken, or some
other forms such as images
2.5
content management
controlling the content (2.4) of a text (2.21) or the media in general
while analysing or revising it
Note 1 to entry: This includes version control of revised documents, contents in versions of similar documents,
and the management of relations between items in a document.
© ISO 2015 – All rights reserved 1

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

2.6
controlled natural language
controlled language
CNL
subset of natural languages (2.12) whose grammars and dictionaries have been restricted in order to
reduce or eliminate both ambiguity and complexity
Note 1 to entry: As a generic, CNL is an uncountable noun that refers to the abstract properties of all controlled
natural languages and not to a particular natural language or application for a specific purpose. It is engineered
(i.e. constructed) with a view to reducing or eliminating ambiguity and complexity and aims both to make it
easier for human readers [particularly non-native users, non-experts, and people with limited comprehension
(2.3)] to read a text (2.21) and to improve the computational processing of a text.
Note 2 to entry: CNL is an engineered (i.e. constructed) language that is based on a particular natural language,
but is more restrictive as regards lexicon, syntax, or semantics, while at the same time preserving most of its
natural properties. Here, CNL is a countable noun.
2.7
controlled vocabulary
CV
list of lexical or phrasal items that are selected for the purpose of improving readability (2.15) in a
particular domain
Note 1 to entry: Controlled vocabulary is also used in a more specific sense in applications such as
a)  the field of information and documentation, where it is defined as a ‘list of words or phrases authorized for
indexing’ [SOURCE: ISO 5127:2001(en), 4.2.2.1.03], and
b)  in the field of health informatics, where it is defined as a ‘finite set of values that represent the only allowed
values for a data item’ [SOURCE: CDISC Clinical Research Glossary version 8.0, 2009]. In the field of health
informatics, these values may be codes, text, or numeric [SOURCE: ISO 11616:2012(en), 3.1.7].
Note 2 to entry: Most controlled vocabularies target a specific, narrow domain. Unlike CNL, they do not deal with
grammatical issues (i.e. how to combine the terms needed to write complete sentences), but a good number of CNL
approaches, especially domain-specific ones, include controlled vocabularies.
2.8
cooperative work
activity or result of working together to achieve the same goal
Note 1 to entry: Work carried out by more than one person in a collaborative way (e.g. technical writers and
editors putting together a manual).
2.9
formal language
language (2.11) that has been devised for logical inferences or programming applications with a finite list
of symbols and a finite set of formation rules based on these symbols that define well-formed sentences
and also with a system that interprets these sentences
2.10
interoperability
achievement of partial or total compatibility between heterogeneous
data models by the mapping of metadata
2.11
language
system of signs paired with meanings, thus, being used as a means of conveying information
2 © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

2.12
natural language
NL
language (2.11) with its origin unknown, but continuously developing sometimes in idiosyncratic ways
as is used conventionally for human communications
2.13
linguistic structure
composition of a language (2.11) at the level of sound, word, phrase, sentence, meaning, and discourse
Note 1 to entry: The science of language is understood to consist of phonology (sound), morphology (word units),
syntax (sentential structure), semantics (meaning, information), and pragmatics (discourse, context).
2.14
pre-editing
modification of a text (2.21) before it is submitted to a specific processing (e.g. machine translation)
2.15
readability
ease of processing a text (2.21) for its comprehension (2.3)
2.16
re-use
use a document or data for purposes in addition to those for which it was originally designed
Note 1 to entry: Ability to use existing documents for new documents. This includes making a product manual for
a new version of the product and one for a similar version.
2.17
rewriting
producing a new version of a text (2.21) by changing its lexical, sentential, or textual structures while
keeping its original content (2.4)
2.18
simplification
process of reducing complexity
Note 1 to entry: A procedure such as simplified language(2.19) that makes content (2.4) simpler.
2.19
simplified language
language (2.11) generated through a simplification (2.18) process
2.20
special language
special-purpose language
SPL
language (2.11) used in a subject-specific field and also characterized by the use of specific linguistic
means of expression
Note 1 to entry: The stricter the conventions of an SPL are systematized and made obligatory, the more they
converge with CNL.
2.21
text
data in the form of characters, symbols, words, phrases, paragraphs, sentences, tables, or other
character arrangements intended to convey a meaning and whose interpretation is essentially based on
the knowledge of some natural language (2.12) or artificial language (2.1)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382-1:1993]
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2.22
tractability
computational tractability
capability of being controlled, analysed, or generated
3 General view of controlled natural language
3.1 Overview
Controlled natural language (CNL) is a type of human language that is restricted for certain practical
purposes such as machine translation and writing manuals. The m
...

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
01-september-2017
8SUDYOMDQMH]MH]LNRYQLPLYLUL1DG]RURYDQLQDUDYQLMH]LN&1/GHO2VQRYQL
SRMPLLQQDþHOD
Language resource management -- Controlled natural language (CNL) -- Part 1: Basic
concepts and principles
Gestion des ressources linguistiques -- Langage naturel contrôlé (CNL) -- Partie 1:
Notions de base et principes
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO/TS 24620-1:2015
ICS:
01.140.20 Informacijske vede Information sciences
SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017 en
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
TECHNICAL ISO/TS
SPECIFICATION 24620-1
First edition
2015-03-15
Language resource management —
Controlled natural language (CNL) —
Part 1:
Basic concepts and principles
Gestion des ressources linguistiques — Langage naturel contrôlé
(CNL) —
Partie 1: Notions de base et principes
Reference number
ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)
©
ISO 2015

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ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2015
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

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Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Terms and definitions . 1
3 General view of controlled natural language . 4
3.1 Overview . 4
3.2 Properties of controlled natural languages . 4
3.3 Controlled natural languages compared with natural languages . 5
3.4 Controlled natural languages compared with special-purpose languages . 5
3.5 Criteria of adequacy. 5
4 Benefits and usages of controlled natural language . 6
4.1 Applications of controlled natural language . 6
4.2 Users of controlled natural language . 6
4.3 Benefits of controlled natural language . 6
5 Levels of restricting controlled natural languages . 7
5.1 Overview . 7
5.2 Linguistic levels . 7
5.3 Extra-linguistic levels . 7
5.4 Classification of controlled natural languages . 7
6 General principles of controlled natural language . 7
6.1 Two viewpoints of principles for controlled natural language . 7
6.2 Different orientations for the principles of controlled natural language . 7
7 Concluding remarks . 8
Bibliography . 9
© ISO 2015 – All rights reserved iii

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Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any
patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on
the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 37, Terminology and other language and content
resources, Subcommittee SC 4, Language resource management.
ISO 24620 consists of the following parts, under the general title Language resource management —
Controlled natural language (CNL):
— Part 1: Basic concepts and principles
iv © ISO 2015 – All rights reserved

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Introduction
The long history of the study of controlled natural language (CNL) has proved its effectiveness
especially in technical documentation, technical communication, and business communication. In time,
CNL has come to be applied in different ways in such fields as information management, librarianship,
terminology management, and legal documents. Its commercial impact was established in the 1990s due
to its effectiveness in information and communication technology applications like machine translation
and mobile communication. Moreover, ‘text simplification’, a major task of CNL, promotes efficient
communication with regard to all kinds of language use on the web. An example of this is the simplified
English Wikipedia.
This part of ISO 24620 aims both to define major concepts related to CNL and to outline the scope of CNL
and its various applications in relation to language resource management. These include the following:
a) the pre-editing of texts for CNL in preparation for machine translation;
b) the development of new or the re-use of existing controlled vocabularies for CNL;
c) the structuring and harmonization of content for content management;
d) technical writing including the formulation of standards;
e) facilitating communication with and for persons with disabilities (PWD), for instance, in ambient
assisted living (AAL) or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
In this connection, special attention is given to aspects of interoperability: from technical interoperability
through semantic interoperability to content interoperability. As a Technical Specification (TS), this
part of ISO 24620 identifies the following:
— the environments of CNL used for the purposes and applications of all kinds (e.g. computer-assisted
technical writing);
— the relationships to language resource management and related systems;
— the potential for new applications (e.g. in the processes, whether manual or automatic, of knowledge
acquisition and knowledge fusion based on and linked to the web).
This part of ISO 24620 is the first in a planned series of International Standards on CNL. Subsequent
parts will focus on issues specific to particular viewpoints and/or applications such as particular CNLs,
CNL interfaces, the implementation of CNLs, and evaluation techniques for CNL.
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SIST-TS ISO/TS 24620-1:2017
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION ISO/TS 24620-1:2015(E)
Language resource management — Controlled natural
language (CNL) —
Part 1:
Basic concepts and principles
1 Scope
As part of a drive to provide international standards for language resource management, this part of
ISO 24620 on controlled natural language (CNL) sets out the principles of CNL and its utilization together
with the relevant supporting technology. However, this part of ISO 24620 also aims to introduce a general
view of CNL with its objectives and characteristics and provide a scheme for classifying a range of CNLs.
This part of ISO 24620 additionally specifies certain normalizing principles of CNLs that control the use
of natural languages in particular domains and are also oriented towards areas of practical application.
These areas include public administrative communications, search optimization, and the management
of automatic question-answering systems, but the current version of this part of ISO 24620 does not
address any issue involving these applications directly.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
artificial language
language (2.11) that has been specifically devised for some applications
Note 1 to entry: The grammar of an artificial language is formulated systematically for some specific purposes of
its used in practical applications especially in the area of human or human-machine communications.
2.2
authoring
writing a document such as a report, manual, article, or book
2.3
comprehension
understanding the content (2.4) of a document
2.4
content
information content
information contained in or conveyed by a language (2.11), which can be in a written, spoken, or some
other forms such as images
2.5
content management
controlling the content (2.4) of a text (2.21) or the media in general
while analysing or revising it
Note 1 to entry: This includes version control of revised documents, contents in versions of similar documents,
and the management of relations between items in a document.
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2.6
controlled natural language
controlled language
CNL
subset of natural languages (2.12) whose grammars and dictionaries have been restricted in order to
reduce or eliminate both ambiguity and complexity
Note 1 to entry: As a generic, CNL is an uncountable noun that refers to the abstract properties of all controlled
natural languages and not to a particular natural language or application for a specific purpose. It is engineered
(i.e. constructed) with a view to reducing or eliminating ambiguity and complexity and aims both to make it
easier for human readers [particularly non-native users, non-experts, and people with limited comprehension
(2.3)] to read a text (2.21) and to improve the computational processing of a text.
Note 2 to entry: CNL is an engineered (i.e. constructed) language that is based on a particular natural language,
but is more restrictive as regards lexicon, syntax, or semantics, while at the same time preserving most of its
natural properties. Here, CNL is a countable noun.
2.7
controlled vocabulary
CV
list of lexical or phrasal items that are selected for the purpose of improving readability (2.15) in a
particular domain
Note 1 to entry: Controlled vocabulary is also used in a more specific sense in applications such as
a)  the field of information and documentation, where it is defined as a ‘list of words or phrases authorized for
indexing’ [SOURCE: ISO 5127:2001(en), 4.2.2.1.03], and
b)  in the field of health informatics, where it is defined as a ‘finite set of values that represent the only allowed
values for a data item’ [SOURCE: CDISC Clinical Research Glossary version 8.0, 2009]. In the field of health
informatics, these values may be codes, text, or numeric [SOURCE: ISO 11616:2012(en), 3.1.7].
Note 2 to entry: Most controlled vocabularies target a specific, narrow domain. Unlike CNL, they do not deal with
grammatical issues (i.e. how to combine the terms needed to write complete sentences), but a good number of CNL
approaches, especially domain-specific ones, include controlled vocabularies.
2.8
cooperative work
activity or result of working together to achieve the same goal
Note 1 to entry: Work carried out by more than one person in a collaborative way (e.g. technical writers and
editors putting together a manual).
2.9
formal language
language (2.11) that has been devised for logical inferences or programming applications with a finite list
of symbols and a finite set of formation rules based on these symbols that define well-formed sentences
and also with a system that interprets these sentences
2.10
interoperability
achievement of partial or total compatibility between heterogeneous
data models by the mapping of metadata
2.11
language
system of signs paired with meanings, thus, being used as a means of conveying information
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2.12
natural language
NL
language (2.11) with its origin unknown, but continuously developing sometimes in idiosyncratic ways
as is used conventionally for human communications
2.13
linguistic structure
composition of a language (2.11) at the level of sound, word, phrase, sentence, meaning, and discourse
Note 1 to entry: The science of language is understood to consist of phonology (sound), morphology (word units),
syntax (sentential structure), semantics (meaning, information), and pragmatics (discourse, context).
2.14
pre-editing
modification of a text (2.21) before it is submitted to a specific processing (e.g. machine translation)
2.15
readability
ease of processing a text (2.21) for its comprehension (2.3)
2.16
re-use
use a document or data for purposes in addition to those for which it was originally designed
Note 1 to entry: Ability to use existing documents for new documents. This includes making a product manual for
a new version of the product and one for a similar version.
2.17
rewriting
producing a new version of a text (2.21) by changing its lexical, sentential, or textual structures while
keeping its original content (2.4)
2.18
simplification
process of reducing complexity
Note 1 to entry: A procedure such as simplified language(2.19) that makes content (2.4) simpler.
2.19
simplified language
language (2.11) generated through a simplification (2.18) process
2.20
special language
special-purpose language
SPL
language (2.11) used in a subject-specific field and also characterized by the use of specific linguistic
means of expression
Note 1 to entry: The stricter the conventions of an SPL are systematized and made obligatory, the more they
converge with CNL.
2.21
text
data in the form of characters, symbols, words, phrases, paragraphs, sentences, tables, or other
character arrangements intended to convey a meaning and whose interpretation is essentially based on
the knowl
...