[SCL] Re: nearing an end

[Pat Hayes]

>Pat Hayes wrote:
>
>>Re: nearing an end
>>
>>>I've rearranged some sections and will be working on the 
>>>terminology and symbol sections today. I've taken out the "core" 
>>>semantics section
>>>
>>
>>Er...why? The core needs to have a semantics specified for it, and 
>>the one that was in there was designed particularly for that syntax 
>>(It didnt make the D/U distinction as the core is now 
>>unsegregated.) Also I think there was some utility in having the 
>>description of the core self-contained, as many users will be more 
>>interested in that than in the abstract description, though I guess 
>>that could be done in a different publication.
>>
>Pat,
>the idea is to specify the semantics once for the abstract syntax of CL;
>this is what is common in Common Logic.
>There is not a separate semantics for each concrete syntax.

Michael, PLEASE read the document. Believe it or not, I do understand 
the basic idea of abstract syntax. But it is important to allow users 
and definers of dialects to write model theories in their own way; 
and there is no need to prevent them from doing this, as long as 
their MT fits the MT attached to the abstract syntax in the way that 
I outlined in the sketch of the conformance section. So there CAN be 
a separate model theory for each concrete syntax; and if the concrete 
syntax allows extra syntactic constructions, or has built-in 
simplifications (both of which are true of the core syntax) then it 
is kind of important to allow them to have their own model theories 
stated in terms of their own grammars.  The model theory for the core 
syntax was DESIGNED to be an illustration of this: it WASN'T exactly 
the same as the general MT defined on the abstract syntax. (And for a 
very good reason, by the way.)

Believe me, this entire document has been the product of a lot of 
thought and work. Please don't make big alterations to it unless you 
fully understand what you are doing.

Pat

>- michael


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