Analogy Generation with HowNet

Abstract

Analogy is a powerful boundary-transcending process that exploits a conceptual system's ability to perform controlled generalization in one domain and re-specialization into another. The result of this semantic leap is the transference of meaning from one concept to another from which metaphor derives its name (literally: to carry over). Such generalization and respecialization can be achieved using a variety of representations and techniques, most notably abstraction via a taxonomic backbone, or selective projection via structure-mapping on propositional content. In this paper we explore the extent to which a bilingual lexical ontology for English and Chinese, called HowNet, can support both approaches to analogy.