hovedklassene

Hovedklassene is a Norwegian term used to refer to the main or top-level classes in a classification system. The word combines hoved, meaning main or principal, with klasser, meaning classes. The phrase is generic, and its precise meaning depends on the discipline and the specific classification scheme in use.

The term appears in several contexts. In education and curriculum planning, hovedklassene describe the primary subject groups that organize a program or framework, with finer subdivisions treated as subcategories or modules. In science and taxonomy, it can refer to a simplified high-level grouping of organisms, features, or concepts within a given scheme. In information management and library science, hovedklassene denote the principal classes in a classification system that form the top layer of the hierarchy, guiding how topics are organized and retrieved.

Because the term is context-dependent, there is no universal set of hovedklassene. Each system defines its own top-level classes and subsequent subcategories. The content and boundaries of these main classes vary according to disciplinary conventions, organizational goals, and the level of abstraction chosen by developers of the classification.

See also: classification, taxonomy, hierarchical classification, subject headings, ontology.