Abstract
In this thesis we explore the acquisition of a domain ontology based on the characteristics of languages, in particular specialist languages. Our work is supported by the presumption that language can communicate information, specifically classification information, and especially when employed within specialist domains of knowledge. Knowledge involves being familiar with the existence of important objects and interrelationships between objects that make up a specific world, and language is often used as a medium to make this knowledge explicit. We examine the possibility of a local grammar for statements that convey ontological information. Assuming a correlation between the conceptual structure of a domain and a substantial collection of domain specific documents, we propose a method to analyse such a collection in an attempt to elicit this conceptual structure, which may help in understanding the ontological commitment of the domain experts. We have developed a prototype to implement the proposed method.