Th Topic: words defined by words

Topic: words defined by words

topics > computer science > programming > Group: types of programming languages

Topic:
block machines
Topic:
compiling pseudocode designs
Topic:
data as a named set of data objects
Topic:
definition
Topic:
definition languages
Topic:
descriptive languages
Topic:
dictionary for natural language
Topic:
extensible languages
Topic:
function definition
Topic:
hypertext nodes made of names
Topic:
incremental development
Topic:
interpreter
Topic:
macros
Topic:
meaning of words
Topic:
program web
Topic:
scripting language
Topic:
semantic grammar
Topic:
symbolic representation
Topic:
Thesa data model
Topic:
thesaurus and information retrieval
Topic:
threaded code
Topic:
type reflection and introspection
Topic:
understanding systems
Topic:
user-defined languages

Summary

Programming systems such as Forth, can be built from words defined in terms of other words with eventual definition in terms of primitive words. The language of definition can be the same as the language of using a word. A similar technique is using macros but the extension language is not the same as the base language.
In programming systems, redefined words replace their old meaning with the new definition. In natural languages, words symbolize knowledge. Their meaning is not identified with their definition. Instead their definition is generated from their meaning.
Advantages-- Incremental development, local understanding, modular programming. (cbb 5/80)
An on-line dictionary provides a symbolic user interface. They are used in symbolic debuggers to associate labels with addresses or values. In FORTH systems, the on-line dictionary defines functions and variables in threaded code. The main cost of a dictionary is in storage requirements; a disk based dictionary results in slow user response while a memory based dictionary results in abbreviated labels. Users can dynamically modify most dictionaries. (cbb 5/80)

Subtopic: words connote actions

Quote: readable program in ML; cookbook english; imperative verbs, subordinate clauses separated by commas, e.g., conditional clause [»spooCR4_1986]
Quote: in both english and ML, words convey most of meaning [»spooCR4_1986]
Quote: an ML environment is a set of declarations that gives precise meaning to text [»spooCR4_1986]
QuoteRef: guttJV12_1974 ;;61 specify broad actions then take each part and specify those till get to known use

Subtopic: task lists by title

Quote: a DSEE task has a title which describes a high-level activity and a list of textual items defining necessary sub-tasks [»leblDB5_1984]
Quote: a DSEE tasklist contains references to tasks; for managing each user's active tasks and each library's active and completed tasks [»leblDB5_1984]

Subtopic: words define words

Quote: a programming language should plan for growth; start small; a pattern for defining patterns for real work [»steeGL10_1998]
Quote: AED compilation produces merbes by merging merbes and vocabulary merbes; merbes have a parameter header and code with parameter substitution; can create new vocabulary merbe [»rossDT5_1964]
Quote: an extendable dictionary of words that connote actions is similar to subroutine packages [»tuckA1_1975]
Quote: FORTH defines a word as other words; gives definition of TIMES as in '17 TIMES' [»moorCH6_1974, OK]
QuoteRef: steiP11_1975 ;;10 "A FORTH program consists entirely of vocabulary entries, each one stated in terms of other words already defined"
Quote: in FORTH, can define a word that is used to define words [»ewinMS9_1974]

Subtopic: word sequence as meaning

QuoteRef: cbb_1973 ;;3/7/79 Purna is not based on reduction. There is no meaning attached to a sequence other than the sequence itself.
Quote: a word is in a language if, through that language, we can understand the word [»cbb_1973, OK]

Subtopic: routines made of routines

Quote: GP library routines are written in GP-code [»randS_1957]
Quote: routine calls are used in GP whenever an operation takes more than two lines to code
Quote: the routine calls in a GP part represent a flowchart of the problem [»randS_1957]
Quote: after coding a GP part; each of the referenced pieces must themselves be code
Quote: a GP routine without parameters appears only once in the final program, while one with parameters appears multiple times [»randS_1957]
QuoteRef: robiL9_1975 ;;3 mapping function expression-- specify v function by v functions of lower machine

Subtopic: define symbols by phrases

Quote: Aleph defines symbols in terms of phrases and recursion; gives example of merge sort [»boscR9_1973, OK]
Quote: program as an acyclic communication graph of grammars; output of one grammar is the input of another [»hehnEC3_1983]
Quote: program via predicate logic defines a procedure as calls to other procedures plus terminal definitions [»kowaR11_1973, OK]

Subtopic: reusing name in definition

Quote: reusing a name in its definition refers to its previous definition [»wileDS11_1973]
QuoteRef: bennRK7_1976 ;;36 on all word definitions have override operation in case word has already been defined

Related Topics

Topic: block machines (8 items)
Topic: compiling pseudocode designs (8 items)
Topic: data as a named set of data objects (22 items)
Topic: definition (17 items)
Topic: definition languages (3 items)
Topic: descriptive languages (22 items)
Topic: dictionary for natural language (41 items)
Topic: extensible languages (71 items)
Topic: function definition (25 items)
Topic: hypertext nodes made of names (13 items)
Topic: incremental development (74 items)
Topic: interpreter (59 items)
Topic: macros (22 items)
Topic: meaning of words (21 items)
Topic: program web (8 items)
Topic: scripting language (27 items)
Topic: semantic grammar (23 items)
Topic: symbolic representation (26 items)
Topic: Thesa data model (58 items)
Topic: thesaurus and information retrieval (29 items)
Topic: threaded code (18 items)
Topic: type reflection and introspection (28 items)
Topic: understanding systems (48 items)
Topic: user-defined languages
(42 items)