The context and meaning in information retrieval: emphasis on the mother tongue

Language allows us to communicate, and almost all living things have this ability. However, regarding human beings, in addition to the role of communication, it has other roles. The purpose of this study was to express the role and importance of language with an emphasis on the mother tongue in the formation of search vocabulary in information retrieval based on the subjective meanings of individuals and the content of the search. This paper is a theoretical research. In compiling this article and as a first step, with using library and overview method the identification of relevant resources and some basic theories in the domain of language was essential. Therefore, keywords such as information retrieval, mother tongue, context and meaning, information and language, and similar items were searched on the Web and other related databases. Finally, after identifying and accessing quality and relevant resources, we tried to analyze the concept of language in information retrieval with an emphasis on mother tongue and its related concepts were analyzed. Based on what can be inferred from this paper, the concepts first develop in the mind (that is, mental conceptualization), and then the concepts formed in the mind become linguistic expressions (representations or lexical expressions). Therefore, when searching for data retrieval, the users initially construct concepts in their minds as a search term, then create the most appropriate words in the search field and insert them in a database to come up with the “most relevant” results. This is the case for someone whose mental concepts and established concepts (the objective ones) are similar to one another and can lead to better results if the formation is based upon the mother tongue. Because in this state, there exists a direct relationship between mind and expression, better mental contexts or spaces will be formed. Language as the interface between user’s information needs and information system relies on the mental patterns that humans receive through their learning, and these patterns are usually formed with learning of the first language (the mother tongue). Therefore, many of our experiences are based on the concepts that form in our minds and
are expressed in terms of language, and this can often happen when information retrieval occurs. Paying due and sufficient attention to this category can help improve the design of information retrieval systems.