An SKOS-Based Vocabulary on the Swift Programming Language

Domain ontologies about one or several programming languages have been created in various occasions, mostly in the context of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL). Their benefits range from modeling learning outcomes, over organization and annotation of learning material, to providing scaffolding support in programming labs by integrating relevant learning resources. The Swift programming language, introduced in 2014, is currently gaining momentum in different fields of application. Both its powerful syntax as well as the provided type safety make it a good language for first-year computer science students. However, it has not yet been the subject of a domain ontology. In this paper, we present an SKOS-based vocabulary on the Swift programming language, aiming at enabling the benefits of previous research for this particular language. After reviewing existing ontologies on other programming languages, we present the modeling process of the Swift vocabulary, its integration into the LOD Cloud and list all of its resources available to the research community. Finally, we showcase how it is being used in different TEL tools

Some grammatical rules are more difficult than others: the case of the generic interpretation of the masculine

In this paper we argue that the generic use of the masculine represents a grammatical rule that might be easy to learn but difficult to apply when understanding texts. This argument is substantiated by reviewing the relevant literature as well as, the recent work conducted by the GREL Group (Gender Representation in Language) on the interaction between stereotypical and grammatical information in the construction of a representation of gender when reading role names. The studies presented in this paper show that the masculine form used as a generic to refer to persons of both sexes, or to persons of indefinite sex or whose sex is irrelevant, in gender marked languages is likely to be associated with its specific meaning (i.e., masculine refers only to men). This is true even though the generic nature of the masculine is a very common grammatical rule learnt at school. People may have learned this rule and may understand it, but may not readily apply it