Linguistics and Information Processing: Provision of Syntactic and Semantic Consistency in the Language of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) Pertaining to Literature and Librarianship: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT The syntactic and semantic consistency of the subject headings of Library of Congress is a matter of concern to cataloguers who must use appropriate terminologies to describe library materials undergoing processing. This paper looks at the structure of these headings by analyzing comparatively the syntactic types that make up the structures as listed in Literature and Librarianship on pages 3075 to 3085 and 3114 to 3117 respectively. Their semantic implications are also highlighted. Consistency and specificity are terms often used in criticizing LCSH. This paper examines the application of these two concepts on the structures believing that a thorough understanding of the syntactic types would help the cataloguer to determine the most appropriate and specific heading to use.