Classification and query evaluation using modelling with words

A random set based knowledge representation framework for learning linguistic models is presented. Within this framework a number of algorithms for learning prototypes are proposed, based on grouping certain sets of attributes and evaluating joint mass assignments on labels. These mass assignments can then be combined with a Semi-Naïve Bayes classifier in order to determine classification probabilities. The potential of such linguistic classifiers is then illustrated by their application to a number of toy and benchmark problems. This framework also allows for the evaluation of linguistic queries as will be demonstrated on several well known data sets.