**The 3 components to any language.

All languages have these three components in order to function as a language: Ontology, Semantics, and Syntax.

  1. Ontology defines and constraints what entities can exist in the system. It’s the set of words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc) that can exist and are able to carry meaning. It also describes how entities can be grouped and subdivided. Ontologies use “signifiers”, which is a word that’s a superset of “words” and “symbols”.
  2. Semantics ascribe meaning to the members of the ontology. It is the bridge between a wavy line in a circuit diagram and the resistor it represents.
  3. Syntax is the set of rules, principles, conventions, and processes that govern how you can construct member signifiers of the ontology to form higher-level semantic meaning.

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