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Semantic Confusion
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When LFCS talks about semantics they are talking about process
semantics, the modeling of the behavior of a running program or
programming language via a more precise mathematical language (operational
semantics) or its correspondence with a mathematical structure such as a
lattice (denotational semantics). These are models of the process.
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When someone talks about the semantics of a sentence such as
"Richard Feynman autographed my book ", they are talking about the actual person Richard Feynman and an actual book, i.e. world semantics, not a model of Richard Feynman, or book(x)
- When CISA talks about semantics, it's usually talking about the
process semantics, using a logic as a model of the world. Or
possibly even the
declarative semantics, the constraints used in a particular logic. Often assumes the model maps to the world.
- When ICCS talks about semantics, it may be talking about world semantics or process semantics, often not keeping their model and world straight. Models tend to be lexical semantics such as thematic roles, Montague Semantics, DRT.
- When we talk about semantics with each other we can't
even keep our referents straight!