ABSTRACT
A linguistically-based ontology that maps meanings in a given experiential domain provides a model of that experiential domain through the language used in its construction. Given the level of granularity of linguistic analysis enabled by the systematic functional linguistic framework, “packed” meanings can be “unpacked,” revealing the movement of grammar in the construal of the experiential domain, which culminates at the lexical pole with concepts attaining lexical status and becoming terms. Our study of health translation showed that an ontology modelled meanings by means of their grammatical realizations, showing how reality is construed in particular domains. By revealing the relations among concepts, an ontology can enable the extraction of information and inferences about a given domain. This process allows solving problems in comprehension and production of texts, especially in tasks such as translation, in which translators have to construe an experiential domain through texts, without having developed their ability to “create” and “develop” those meanings in a “natural” experiential setting, as domain experts have had the chance to do during their training on the path to expertise.
