Denotational semantics

In computer science, denotational semantics is one of the approaches to formalize the meaning of computer programs, which is semantics using knowledge of mathematics. Other approaches include axiomatic semantics and operational semantics. (See semantics of programming languages.)

The field was originally developed by Christopher Strachey and Dana Scott.

Denotational semantics generally makes use of the techniques of functional programming to describe computer languages, architectures and programs. The mathematics of denotational semantics is usually now formulated within domain theory.

Related fields:

• program transformation
• type theory

References

The classic work on the subject is:

Joseph E. Stoy. Denotational Semantics: The Scott-Strachey Approach to Programming Language Semantics. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1977.

External links

• http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~lloyd/tilde/Semantics/
• http://www.risc.uni-linz.ac.at/people/schreine/courses/densem/densem.html
• http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/Teaching/Lectures/dens/