Elements of a semantic theory of information retrieval—I. The concepts of relevance and information language

The primary aim of this study is to suggest a formalized definition (“explication”) of “relevance relationship” between texts, including the explication of the concept of “degree of relevance”. The concept of information language (IL), its vocabulry and syntax and the notion of the “semantic power” of an information language are defined. The concept of ideally functioning information retrieval systems (IRS) is suggested and different kinds of deviations from such IRS are considered.