motto
Let an agent explain mottos and their kinds, relay heraldic and official conventions, describe notable mottos with attribution, and distinguish mottos from slogans, maxims and battle cries.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Understand What a motto is.
Definition
Definition and kinds.
Definition
Definition.
- What is a motto, and what kinds exist? definition
- Is the phrase a motto, a slogan, a maxim or a battle cry? boundary
Heraldry
Heraldic mottos.
Heraldry
Heraldry.
- How are mottos placed on ribands and regulated in heraldry? definition
- Which entry fits heraldry? action
Examples Notable mottos.
National
National and state mottos.
National
National.
- What are notable national and state mottos, and how were they adopted, with sources? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific motto? action
Institutions
School and organisational mottos.
Institutions
Institutions.
- What mottos do schools, universities and military units use, and what do they mean? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Language Language and translation.
Latin
Classical languages.
Latin
Latin.
- Why are mottos often in Latin, and how are they translated accurately? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Writing
Writing a motto.
Writing
Writing.
- What conventions guide composing a motto for an organisation? provenance
- Which entry fits organisational identity? action
Context History and debates.
History
History.
History
History.
- How did mottos develop from medieval heraldry and war cries? provenance
- Which entry fits the history of heraldry? action
Debates
Contested mottos.
Debates
Debates.
- What debates surround national mottos, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Other names and narrower kinds
- slogan cancel, moral principle, riband, school motto, battle cry, U.S. state motto, pay-off, heraldic motto, Scout Motto, national motto, slogan, Grido
What it is Filled
A short phrase or sentence expressing a guiding principle, ideal or purpose of a person, family, institution, state or movement, such as school mottos, national and state mottos, heraldic mottos on a riband or scroll below a coat of arms, battle cries and organisational slogans; mottos are often in Latin or other classical languages, are formally adopted in some cases, and are distinguished from slogans by their durability and from maxims by their attachment to an identity.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain mottos and their kinds, relay heraldic and official conventions, describe notable mottos with attribution, and distinguish mottos from slogans, maxims and battle cries.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Attached to an identity
- Often classical language
- Formal adoption
- Heraldic placement
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Attribute a motto to a person, family or state that does not hold it.
- Use an institution's motto in a way that implies its endorsement.
- Mistranslate a motto, for example from Latin, without flagging uncertainty.
Only with a human decision
- Using a protected official or institutional motto in public content.
May
- Quote and translate mottos with their source and the holder they belong to.
- Explain the history and meaning of a motto from reliable sources.
Moral aspects Filled
- Mottos carry identity and values; misuse misrepresents those who hold them.
- Some mottos are tied to regimes or movements whose use can glorify harm.
Who is affected
- Holders of mottos
- Institutions and states
- Communities
Owners Filled
Steward
The person, family, institution or state that adopts it.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q187931 - registry parent class
- Q234460 - registry parent class
- Q3026787 - registry parent class
- Q386724 - registry parent class
related
- phrase - in registry terms
- saying - in registry terms
- coat of arms - in heraldry
- slogan - a campaign phrase
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.motto
- Wikidata: Q42470 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42470)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Phrase expressing a guiding principle of an identity
- Heraldic, national, state, school and organisational mottos, battle cries
- A slogan is for campaigns; a maxim is a general rule; a tagline is commercial
- A phrase on a scroll, seal, badge or building.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain kinds and conventions
- relay heraldic and official use
- describe notable mottos
- distinguish from related phrases
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Misattributed or mistranslated mottos
- Confusing mottos with slogans
- Contested national mottos
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Heraldic authority rules on mottos
- Laws adopting national and state mottos
- No regulation of informal mottos
Context of use required Filled
- Expressing identity and principle.
- heraldic mottos on ribands
- national mottos
- US state and other regional mottos
- school and university mottos
- military unit mottos and battle cries
- organisational and family mottos
- personal mottos
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q42470: motto - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Motto - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should national motto and heraldic motto be separate entries?
- How should heraldic sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases mixing heraldic parts and unrelated terms; should they be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q42470/spec.json