1995•Unpublished venueRequires access

Denotational Semantics

R. D. Tennent

Abstract

Abstract Designers, implementers, and serious users of a programming language need a complete and accurate understanding of the semantics (the intended meaning) of every construct of that language. The semantic descriptions in reference manuals and language standards are almost always inadequate because they are based primarily on implementation techniques and intuition. A rigorous mathematical theory of the semantics of programming languages is needed to support correct description and implementation of their meanings, systematic development and verification of programs, analysis of existing programming languages, and design of new languages that are simpler and more regular.

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Key concepts: Programming language, Computer science, Denotational semantics, Programming language theory, Normalisation by evaluation, Operational semantics, Intuition, Denotational semantics of the Actor model