article

A Rewriting Logic Approach to Operational Semantics (Extended Abstract)

Authors:

Traian Florin Şerbănuţă,

José MeseguerAuthors Info & Claims

Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS), Volume 192, Issue 1

Pages 125 - 141

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcs.2007.08.020

Published: 01 October 2007 Publication History

Abstract

This paper shows how rewriting logic semantics (RLS) can be used as a computational logic framework for operational semantic definitions of programming languages. Several operational semantics styles are addressed: big-step and small-step structural operational semantics (SOS), modular SOS, reduction semantics with evaluation contexts, and continuation-based semantics. Each of these language definitional styles can be faithfully captured as an RLS theory, in the sense that there is a one-to-one correspondence between computational steps in the original language definition and computational steps in the corresponding RLS theory. A major goal of this paper is to show that RLS does not force or pre-impose any given language definitional style, and that its flexibility and ease of use makes RLS an appealing framework for exploring new definitional styles.

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Cited By

Agrigoroaiei OCiobanu G(2009)Rewriting Logic Specification of Membrane Systems with Promoters and InhibitorsElectronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS)10.1016/j.entcs.2009.05.010238:3(5-22)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2009
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.entcs.2009.05.010
Aştefănoaei Lde Boer Fvan Riemsdijk M(2009)Using rewrite strategies for testing BUpL agentsProceedings of the 19th international conference on Logic-Based Program Synthesis and Transformation10.1007/978-3-642-12592-8_11(143-157)Online publication date: 1-Sep-2009
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-642-12592-8_11

Index Terms

A Rewriting Logic Approach to Operational Semantics (Extended Abstract)
1. Computing methodologies
  1. Symbolic and algebraic manipulation
    1. Computer algebra systems
      1. Special-purpose algebraic systems
2. Theory of computation
  1. Formal languages and automata theory
    1. Formalisms
      1. Algebraic language theory
      2. Rewrite systems
    2. Grammars and context-free languages
  2. Semantics and reasoning
    1. Program semantics
      1. Algebraic semantics

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cover image Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS)

Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS) Volume 192, Issue 1

October, 2007

138 pages

ISSN:1571-0661

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Copyright © Elsevier B.V. © 2007.

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Elsevier Science Publishers B. V.

Netherlands

Publication History

Published: 01 October 2007

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Cited By

Agrigoroaiei OCiobanu G(2009)Rewriting Logic Specification of Membrane Systems with Promoters and InhibitorsElectronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS)10.1016/j.entcs.2009.05.010238:3(5-22)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2009
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.entcs.2009.05.010
Aştefănoaei Lde Boer Fvan Riemsdijk M(2009)Using rewrite strategies for testing BUpL agentsProceedings of the 19th international conference on Logic-Based Program Synthesis and Transformation10.1007/978-3-642-12592-8_11(143-157)Online publication date: 1-Sep-2009
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-642-12592-8_11

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