A semiotic decision making system processes a training corpus of information in the form of sequential sets of elements to create a database which is thereafter used to make decisions relating to queries input in the same type of elements. Sets of sequential elements of a training corpus are received. Ordered pairs of sequential elements and ordered pairs are identified. The ordered pairs include element/element, pair/element, element/pair and pair/pair ordered pairs, in a recursive semiotic process based on the statistical occurrence of element sequences in the training corpus sets whereby each ordered pair represents an n sequential element subset of a training corpus set defined by a set of nested ordered pairs. Constituent sets of ordered pairs and elements are identified for the training corpus sets. Each constituent set for a given training corpus set of n sequential elements has 2n−1 members including representations of each sequential element of the training corpus set and a set of nested subsets of ordered pairs where each sequential training corpus set element is included in one of said ordered pairs. Database records are created corresponding to the identified constituent sets.