  Re: Model theory, abstract syntax  From: pat hayes
<phayes@ai.uwf.edu> Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 19:10:26 -0700
Message-Id: <v04210113b782887e5596@[]> To: Graham Klyne
<Graham.Klyne@Baltimore.com> Cc: w3c-rdfcore-wg@w3.org >At 09:08
PM 7/16/01 +0100, I wrote: >>At 01:56 PM 7/16/01 -0500, Aaron
Swartz wrote: >>>I'm unclear on the difference between model
theory and abstract  >>>syntax. Can someone clarify? >>I'll take
a shot;  I guess the real formal systems folks will put me
right... >>I think they are clearly different, but related,
issues. >>- Abstract syntax defines a language (i.e. a set of
well formed  >>formulae, or wff) in terms of some set of
terminal symbols.  Given  >>a formula, it allows us to say
whether or not it is a well formed  >>sentence (instance) of the
language.  It also provides us with an  >>annotation for the the
structure of a wff that can be used as a  >>reference point for
defining semantics for the various allowed  >>forms.  In
summary:  abstract syntax is primarily about forms. >On