Change: Variants Of Semantics

created on March 5, 2013, 8:21 p.m. by Hevok & updated on March 5, 2013, 8:23 p.m. by Hevok

The first and most natural Variant of Semantics is the **Intentional Semantics. So the Meaning intended by the user. This restricts the set of all possible Meanings and Models to the Meaning intended by the human User (e.g. the computation of the factorial)

On the other hand we have the formal Semantics. The formal Semantics for instance gives the mathematical Definition (f : n -> n!).

For Programming Language we also have the Procedural Semantics. The Procedural Semantics describes the behavior of the program at execution time. It means the Meaning of a Language expression is the Procedure that takes place internally whenever the expression does occur.

The most important Semantic is the Model-theoretic Semantics which performs the Semantic Interpretation of artificial and Human Natural Languages by identifying the Meaning with an exact and formally defined Interpretation with a Model. So therefore, model-theoretic Semantics where we try to identify a Model as a formal Interpretation of that Language. So for example for Propositional Logics the Model-theoretic Semantics is the assignment of Truth or False values and the description of Logical Connectives with the help of Truth Tables. Therefore, we make a model for Propositional Logic.

• Intentional Semantics
  • "the meaning intended by the user"
  • restricts the set of all possible models (Meanings) to the Meaning intended by the (human) user
• Formal Semantics
  • aims to express the meaning of Symbol Sequences (programs) in a Formal Language, in a way that Assertions over the Symbol Sequences (programs) can be proven by the application of deduction Rules.
• Procedural Semantics
  • behavior of the program at execution
  • the meaning of a Language expression (program) is the procedure that takes place internally, whenever the expression does occur.
• Model-theoretic Semantics performs the semantic interpretation of artificial and natural Languages by "identifying Meaning with an exact and formally defined interpretation with a model"
  • = formal Interpretation with a model
  • e.g. model-theoretic Semantics of Propositional Logic
    • Assignment of Truth values "true" and "false" to atomic Assertions and
    • Description of Logical Connectives with truth tables
• e.g. Programming Languages
• Intentional Semantics
• Formal Semantics: aims the express the meaning in a formal language
• Procedural Language: behavior of the program at executions

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