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<Paper uid="P84-1027">
  <Title>The Semantics of Grammar Formalisms Seen as Computer Languages</Title>
  <Section position="7" start_page="127" end_page="127" type="concl">
    <SectionTitle>
7. Conclusion
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> We have approached the problem of analyzing the meaning of grammar formalisms by applying the techniques of denotational semantics taken from work on the semantics of computer languages. This has enabled us to * account rigorously for intrinsically partial descriptions, null * derive directly notions of unification, instantiation and generalization, * relate feature systems in linguistics with type systems in computer science, * show that feature systems in GPSG, I, FG and PATR-II are special cases of a single construction, * give semantics to a variety of mechanisms in grammar formalisms, and * introduce operations for modeling linguistic phenomena that have not previously been considered. We plan to develop the approach further to give accounts of negative and disjunctive constraints \[8\], besides the simple equational constraints discussed here.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="1"> On the basis of these insights alone, it should be clear that the view of grammar formalisms as programming languages offers considerable potential for investigation. But, even more importantly, the linguistic discipline enforced by a rigorous approach to the design and analysis of grammar formalisms may make possible a hitherto unachievable standard of research in this area.</Paragraph>
  </Section>
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