    # KEHOME/knowledge/theory/NaturalSemanticMetalanguage/happen.html
    # Oct/29/2003

# NSM HAPPEN

From my perspective, HAPPEN [1] is the most unusual semantic prime, and the most difficult to map into MKR [2]. HAPPEN deliberately suppresses the agent/actor information which MKR strives to preserve.

To represent NSM HAPPEN, I have chosen to use the MKR command syntax with "do" replaced by "happens".

## Basic Ideas

### Actions

In the MKR language, entity actions/events are characterized by propositions of the form

    at space=s, time=t, view=v {
        entity do action = event
    	with action characteristics
    	out action products
    	od action direct objects
    	from action initial characteristics
    	to action final characteristics
    	done;
    };

Event is the occurrence/instance of an action. If "= event" is omitted, a unique event name is automatically generated. The NSM concept HAPPEN corresponds to

    at space=s, time=t, view=v {
        entity do action = event od direct object done;
    };

with entity omitted. The new MKR syntax is

    at space=s, time=t, view=v {
        happens action = event od direct object done;
    };

### Interactions

Although Wierzbicka describes HAPPEN in terms of a single action/event, I think that the concept is intended to apply to interactions. In other words, HAPPEN applies to a sequence of related actions/events. In MKR, interactions are characterized by a "script" of actions/events. The script does not have a single entity as subject.

The only interaction which is explicitly represented in the current version of MKR/MKE is causality.

        event:1 causes event:2;
    or
        event:2 because event:1;

An event may be expressed as an action proposition.

For general interactions, the new syntax is the same as for actions.

        happens interaction ... done;

## Examples

In NSM

- something happened
- bad things happen to good people
- something bad happened to me
- something bad happened in this place

In MKR

- at time=past { happens something done; };
- happens some bad thing od some good person done;
- at time=past { happens bad something od I done; };
- at space=this place, time=past { happens bad something done; };

## References

1. Anna Wierzbicka, "Semantics: Primes and Universals", Oxford University Press, 1996.
2. Richard H. McCullough, "MKR/MKE Tutorial", http://rhm.cdepot.net/doc/MKEtutorial.html.

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