The c-Semantics: A Comprehensive Semantics for Functional Programs

A comprehensive semantics for functional programs is presented, which generalizes the well-known call-by-value and call-by-name semantics. By permitting a separate choice between call-by value and call-by-name for every argument position of every function and parameterizing the semantics by this choice we abstract from the parameter-passing mechanism. Thus common and distinguishing features of all instances of the &-semantics, especially call-by-value and call-by-name semantics, are highlighted. Furthermore , a property can be validated for all instances of the &-semantics by a single proof. This is employed for proving the equivalence of the given denotational ((xed-point based) and two operational (reduction based) deenitions of the &-semantics. We present and apply means for very simple proofs of equivalence with the denotational &-semantics for a large class of reduction-based &-semantics. Our basis are simple rst-order constructor-based functional programs with patterns.