Glossary

This glossary includes terms and definitions for Polar Name Explorer.

A

affix

A letter or group of letters added to the beginning or end of a word to change its meaning. The prefix un- in unhappy and the suffix -less in careless are both affixes.

alternate parse name

A possible variation of a name, which is used to improve name analysis and scoring.

F

family name

See last name.

first name

A name part that is used to identify an individual within a group, such as a family. A person can have multiple first names. A first name is the key element of a personal name. A first name might be the only name element that is universal across all names around the world. See also: last name, personal name.

L

last name

A name that is added to a first name and identifies an individual as part of a group of people, such as a family, tribe, or caste. The last name is a key element of a personal name, along with a first name. Last names are not used in some parts of the world. See also personal name.

M

middle name

The second given name in Anglo names. After parsing it will fall into either a first name or the last name category. See first name.

N

name field

A data construct that consists of one or more name phrases. See also name phrase, name token.

name list

A full list of names with all its data (first name, last name, gender, country, frequency, etc.).

name phrase

An inseparable unit that consists of a name stem and any affixes that are associated with that name stem. Some name phrases might be made up of multiple stems, as in an English name like Mary-Anne. One or more name phrases can be combined to create a name field. See also name field, name token.

name token

The smallest indivisible element of a name, which is delineated by white space or punctuation. Name tokens combine to form name phrases and name fields. One name token might contain multiple name parts. Name tokens are either affixes or stems. The exact function of a name token depends upon its placement in the personal name. See also name field, name phrase, name stem.

name stem

The main part of a word that stays the same when endings are added to it. It can be combined with affixes or with other stems to form a complete name or name phrase. See also name phrase, name token.

P

parsing

A process that analyzes text to determine its structure and divides the text into individual tokens.

parsed name

A name whose syntactic structure (that is, name phrases, name fields, titles, and qualifiers) has been defined and represented as output from the parsing process.

personal name

A name that refers to an individual human being and that consists of one or more first names, last names, titles, or qualifiers. A full personal name refers to an individual and might encode information that indicates social class, religious and political backgrounds, educational levels, ethnic or cultural backgrounds, and regional provenance. A personal name is made up of one or two name fields. See also surname, title, qualifier, name field.

prefix

An affix that appears at the beginning of a name. For example, in the family name "de Gonzales," the affix "de" is a prefix.

Q

qualifier

A term or phrase that is added to the end of a personal name to distinguish that name by specifying a generational standing (such as Junior or Senior, or "fils" in French for Junior), an achievement academic or religious rank that the person has attained (for example, Ph.D.).

S

score

The result of a computational analysis. See also scoring.

scoring

The process of computing how closely the attributes for an incoming identity match the attributes of an existing entity.

T

title

The part of a personal name that represents a social, religious, or academic status, such as "Dr.," "Ms.," or "Colonel." A title is an optional part of a personal name that typically precedes first names.