Analogical Reasoning with a Synergy of WordNet and HowNet

WordNet and HowNet are large-scale lexical resources that adopt complementary perspectives toward semantic representation. WordNet is differential, inasmuch as it provides a rich taxonomic structure but little in the way of explicit propositional content. HowNet is constructive, and dedicates its representational energies to the explicit definition of relational structures for each lexico-conceptual entry. For purposes of analogy, no one approach is best. Rather, a synergy of both is required, since analogy is a knowledge-hungry process that demands both taxonomic richness and causally descriptive propositional structure. In this paper we consider how such a synergy might be achieved, and how it can be exploited to support a robust model of analogical reasoning.