Modular monadic meta-theory

Building perceptual and associative links between internal representations is a fundamental neural process, allowing individuals to structure their knowledge about the world and combine it to enable efficient and creative behavior. In this context, the representational similarity between pairs of represented entities is thought to reflect their associative linkage at different levels of sensory processing, ranging from lower-order perceptual levels up to higher-order semantic levels. While recently specific structural features of semantic representational maps were linked with creative abilities of individual humans, it remains unclear if these features are also shared on lower level, perceptual maps. Here, we address this question by presenting 148 human participants with psychophysical scaling tasks, using two sets of independent and qualitatively distinct stimuli, to probe representational map structures in the lower-order auditory and the higher-order semantic domain. We quantify individual representational features with graph-theoretical measures and demonstrate a robust correlation of representational structures in the perceptual auditory and semantic modality. We delineate these shared representational features to predict multiple verbal standard measures of creativity, observing that both, semantic and auditory features, reflect creative abilities. Our findings indicate that the general, modality-overarching representational geometry of an individual is a relevant underpinning of creative thought.

This thesis proposes a novel way of performing type checking, whose results are incremental, depending on the provided local information. This new way of type checking is called co-contextual, where all context information of expressions, methods, classes, etc., is removed. Instead, we introduce corresponding structures using requirements. Standard type systems are translated to the co-contextual ones systematically using dualism as technique. Type systems play an important role to prevent execution errors from occurring during runtime. They are used to check programs statically for potential errors. Programs are type checked against a given set of rules. Depending on these rules programs are well-typed or not. The set of these rules is called typing rules. Each type rule associates types to the constructs of a program given a certain context. There can be different forms of contexts, depending on the features of the typed programming language. Functional languages use a typing context of variables and their types; object-oriented (OO) languages use additional class tables. Class tables are used for example to ensure that method and class declarations are well-typed. Type checking is performed top-down. While traversing the syntax tree of a program, typing contexts are extended with information on the expressions and their types. In case of OO, class tables are extended with clauses from class declarations, including the class members, i.e., fields, methods, or constructors. Contexts are passed through the nodes of the syntax tree in order to coordinate type checking between them. Therefore, while traversing the syntax tree top-down, the type checker creates dependencies between otherwise independent subexpressions. This way, it inhibits incrementalization and parallelization of type checking. That is, a change to a node of the syntax tree would require to redo the type check of the whole syntax tree. In this thesis a novel formulation of type systems is proposed, in order to remove dependencies between subexpressions. We propose a co-contextual formulation of typing rules that depends only on the local program constructs, e.g., expressions, methods, classes. The co-contextual typing rules have as conclusion a type and sets of requirements. That is, contexts and class tables are replaced by the dual concept of context and class table requirements. In addition, operations on contexts and class tables are replaced by new dual operations on requirements. The co-contextual type checker traverses a syntax tree bottom-up and merges context requirements of independently checked subexpressions. We describe a method for systematically constructing a co-contextual formulation of type rules from a regular context-based formulation and we show how co-contextual type rules give rise to incremental type checking. We derive co-contextual type checkers for functional and OO languages. As a representative of functional languages we consider PCF and extensions of it: records, parametric polymorphism, structural subtyping and let-polymorphism. Also, we investigate featherweight java (FJ) as the basis of OO languages and extensions of it: method overloading and generics. We build a1 co-contextual type checker for FJ enabling key features of OO languages: subtype polymorphism, nominal typing and implementation inheritance. The dualism between the co-contextual and contextual type systems preserves the correctness of the contextual calculus. That is, we prove the correctness of the co-contextual calculus via the equivalence between contextual type rules and their co-contextual formulations. We implemented an incremental type checker for PCF along with a performance evaluation showing that co-contextual type checking has performance comparable to standard context-based type checking, and incrementalization can improve performance significantly. Regarding FJ, we implemented a co-contextual type checker with incrementalization and compared its performance against javac on a number of realistic programs. Our performance evaluation shows significant speedups for the co-contextual type checker with incrementalization in comparison to javac.

This dissertation focuses on the debates concerning the relationship between locative, existential and possessive constructions in the languages of the world, paying special attention to the particular case of the Bantu languages, for which a more complete understanding of the relationship between those constructions can only happen if the conceptual domain of comitative is taken into account. The dissertation is developed according to three major questions, which constitute three parts of the work. The first part deals with issues related to field work or the field of the research, the description of African languages in Brazil, in this case, an African linguistics in the Diaspora. The main grammatical aspects of the languages of this study are presented, with emphasis to the Angolan languages, Bantu languages of zones H, K and R. The second part deals with theoretical issues, presenting the various proposals that have wished to analyze possessive constructions and related ones. Those proposals are classified into two types: (i) localist proposals, for which the domain of possessive and existential are ultimately locative; and (ii) Non localist proposals, which tried to identify other factors in the relations of possessive to other constructions. The epistemological questions are also presented, following a reflection of an epistemological anarchism standpoint in linguistics. Based on the assumptions of Cognitive Grammar, the conceptual domains of locative, existential, comitative and possessive are analyzed under the construct of the Reference Point Analysis, considered as the conceptual common basis to those four grammatical constructions. The third and last part is devoted to issues relating to the description of locative, existential, comitative and possessive constructions in Bantu languages. For each construction we considered sub-constructions that should receive a greater attention from scholars, for those who wish a more complete study on predicative possession. For example, for discussion locative constructions one should pay attention to issues related to locative inversion, for existential constructions, the question of the definiteness effect in Bantu languages also should be considered; for comitative constructions, one should relate this construction to that of comitative coordination between NPs, and finally, for possessive constructions, the relation of it with different grammaticalization processes responsible for the great diversity of predicative possession constructions, such as the process of transitivization or "Have-drift". For a joint analysis of these constructions concerned with typological characteristic of Bantu languages, it is proposed that it is necessary to refine theoretically the semantic-grammatical category of Control, regarded as the factor that differentiates locative, existential and comitative from possessives.

A Theory of Symbolic Dynamics for Hybrid Systems

Language constructs that support parallel computing are relatively well recognized at this point, with features such as parallel loops (optionally with reduction operators), divide-and-conquer parallelism, and general parallel blocks. But what language features would make distributed computing safer and more productive? Is it helpful to be able to specify on what node a computation should take place, and on what node data should reside, or is that overspecification? We don't normally expect a user of a parallel programming language to specify what core is used for a given iteration of a loop, nor which data should be moved into which core's cache. Generally the compiler and the run-time manage the allocation of cores, and the hardware worries about the cache. But in a distributed world, communication costs can easily outweigh computation costs in a poorly designed application. This panel will discuss various language features, some of which already exist to support parallel computing, and how they could be enhanced or generalized to support distributed computing safely and efficiently.

This is the 23rd Self-Assessment Procedure. 1 The purpose of this procedure is to let its readers test their knowledge of some of the more important features of significant programming languages. The features of imperative languages like Fortran, Algol 60, PL/I, Pascal, Modula-2, C, and Ada considered are data types, data structures, control structures, program units, scope of names, and parameter passing. Some of the corresponding features of functional languages like Lisp, logic programming languages like Prolog, and ohject-oriented programming languages like C++ and Smalltalk, are reviewed. Finally brief consideration is given to syntax and semantics, chiefly by reference to the Backus-Naur form, BNF. The features of programming languages affect all aspects of programming, including the ease of writing and maintaining programs, the reliahility of software, and the efficiency and portability of programs. Knowledge of programming language concepts and constructs is of importance to software developers, programmers, and designers of programming languages and compilers. The topic of this procedure should be of interest to any computer science student or practitioner who wishes to test his or her knowledge and learn more about one of the most important and broad areas in the computer field. The language used most often in the questions is Pascal, with Ada, Lisp, and Prolog also featured prominently. A glossary is included which defines some of the terms used in the procedure. The questions are either multiple-choice or short answer. Some of the multiple-choice questions allow for more than one correct answer.

In this paper, we present an overview of the methods associated with semantic maps, focusing on current challenges and new avenues for research in this area, which are at the core of the contributions to this special issue. Among the fundamental questions are: (1) the validity of the basic assumption, namely, to what extent does coexpression reflect semantic similarity; (2) the central problem of identifying analytical primitives in the domain of semantics; (3) the methods of inference used for creating coexpression maps and the representation techniques (graph structure vs. Euclidean space) as well as their respective merits (including the goodness of fit of the models); and (4) the use of semantic maps to support diachronic and synchronic descriptions of individual languages. In order to illustrate and discuss key aspects, we conduct an experiment in the semantic field of emotions, for which we construct a classical semantic map based on the dataset of CLICS3.

Foreword Cyril Weir 1. Assessing Chinese learners of English - the language constructs, consequences and conundrums: An Introduction Guoxing Yu and Yan JIN 2. Implementing a learning-oriented approach within English Language assessment in Hong Kong schools: practices, issues and complexities Liz Hamp-Lyons 3. Contriving authentic interaction: Task implementation and engagement in school-based peer group speaking assessment in Hong Kong Daniel M. K. Lam 4. The impact of test mode on the use of communication strategies in the paired discussion task Yan Jin and Lin Zhang 5. Fact-to-face interaction in a speaking test: A corpus-based study of Chinese learners' basic spoken vocabulary Shasha Xu 6. Features of formulaic language used by Chinese EFL learners in their performance in a story-retelling assessment task Lei Wang and Chan Chen 7. Assessing incidental vocabulary learning by Chinese EFL learners Chanchan Tang and Jeanine Treffers-Daller 8. Chinese users' reactions to automated scoring of speech and validity implications Xiaoming Xi, Jonathan Schmidgall and Yuan Wang 9. Project-based group assessment in the second language classroom: Understanding university students' perceptions David Qian 10. The Chinese students' response to an assessment policy change: A case study Qiuxian Chen and Lyn May 11. Students' voices: What factors influence their English learning and test performance? Ying Zheng 12. Standard English or Chinese English? Native and non-native English teachers' perceptions Ying Zhang 13. The power of the General English Proficiency Test on the Taiwanese society and its tertiary English education Shwu-wen Lin 14. Twenty years of Cambridge English in China: Investigating the impact Xiangdong Gu and Nick Saville

Virtual classes are class-valued attributes of objects.<br />Like virtual methods, virtual classes are defined in<br />an object’s class and may be redefined within subclasses.<br />They resemble inner classes, which are also<br />defined within a class, but virtual classes are accessed<br />through object instances, not as static components<br />of a class. When used as types, virtual classes depend<br />upon object identity – each object instance introduces<br />a new family of virtual class types. Virtual classes support large-scale program composition techniques,<br />including higher-order hierarchies and family<br />polymorphism. The original definition of virtual<br />classes in Beta left open the question of static type<br />safety, since some type errors were not caught until<br />runtime. Later the languages Caesar and gbeta have<br />used a more strict static analysis in order to ensure<br />static type safety. However, the existence of a sound,<br />statically typed model for virtual classes has been a<br />long-standing open question. This technical report<br />presents a virtual class calculus, vc, that captures<br />the essence of virtual classes in these full-fledged programming languages. The key contributions of the<br />paper are a formalization of the dynamic and static<br />semantics of vc and a proof of the soundness of vc.<br />Categories: D.3.3 [Language Constructs and Features]:<br />Classes and objects, inheritance, polymorphism.<br />F.3.3 [Studies of Program Constructs]:<br />Object-oriented constructs, type structure. F.3.2<br />[Semantics of Programming Languages]: Operational<br />semantics.

Real-time systems are notoriously difficult to design and implement, and, as many real-time problems are safety-critical, their solutions must be reliable as well as efficient and correct. While higher-level programming models (such as the Real-Time Specification for Java) permit real-time programmers to use language features that most programmers take for granted (objects, type checking, dynamic dispatch, and memory safety) the compromises required for real-time execution, especially concerning memory allocation, can create as many problems as they solve. This paper presents Scoped Types and Aspects for Real-Time Systems (STARS) a novel programming model for real-time systems. Scoped Types give programmers a clear model of their programs’ memory use, and, being statically checkable, prevent the run-time memory errors that bedevil the RTSJ. Adopting the integrated Scoped Types and Aspects approach can significantly improve both the quality and performance of a real-time Java systems, resulting in simpler systems that are reliable, efficient, and correct.

This study explores gendered communication patterns through the analysis of language features used by male and female characters in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie. Employing Jennifer Coates’s (2015) framework, seven language features—minimal responses, hedges, tag questions, questions, commands and directives, swearing and taboo language, and compliments—were examined to identify distinctions in male and female speech. The study adopted a qualitative method with a case study design. A total of 143 male and 85 female utterances were analyzed. Findings indicate that male characters predominantly used questions (52.54%) and commands/directives (17.48%), reflecting a more assertive and directive communication style. In contrast, female characters employed more hedges (25.88%) and compliments (5.88%), suggesting a more cooperative and supportive style of interaction. These findings support Coates’s claim that male speech often emphasizes control and competitiveness, while female language tends to prioritize relational maintenance. This analysis not only illustrates how gendered language reinforces traditional gender ideologies but also demonstrates how dystopian media narratives can mirror broader societal power structures. By adopting a consistent theoretical lens, this research provides analytical rigor and enhances comparability between male and female speech. The study contributes to sociolinguistic scholarship by offering insights into the representation of gender in cinematic discourse and may inform future investigations into language, media, and identity construction.

This article focuses on some lexical and stylistic peculiarities in the headlines of the military articles in English. At the beginning of the article it describes the main functions of the headlines of newspaper articles and their aims in modern printed and electronic publications. The author mentions nominative and informative, evaluative, advertising and esthetic functions which are not isolated, but interconnected in the newspaper headline as a media text. Further the text of the article deals with stylistic analysis, the author considers scientific and technical functional style together with official and business one, at the crossroads of which the style of writing the headlines is. Characteristic features of both styles are given. Official and business style gives military texts and headlines corresponding language character, logic, exactness, clarity, objectivity, concreteness, austerity. At the same time scientific and technical style is united with headlines by the usage of terminology, connected with warfare. In this research the morphological, syntactic, lexical, grammatical features of building headlines in the military articles in English are analyzed using the examples of headlines taken from The Guardian, The New York Times, The Telegraph, The Washington Post, The Times. The article also explains the attraction of military headlines by the usage of such unusual language structures as stylistic devices. Some stylistic devices are mentioned and defined, such as alliteration, speech and language epithets, metaphor, allusion. Examples of them are given. These are language constructions which help to make the headline interesting and memorable.

We sketch a simple theory of Hoare logic contracts for programs with procedures, presented in denotational semantics. In particular, we give a simple semantic justification of the usual procedure-modular treatment of such programs. The justification is given by means of a proof of soundness of a contract-relative denotational semantics against the standard denotational semantics of procedures in the context of procedure declarations. The suggested formal development can be used as an inspiration for more ambitious contract theories.

A Syntactic Approach to Type Soundness

We introduce a denotational semantics for non-linear hybrid automata, and relate it to the operational semantics given in terms of hybrid trajectories. The semantics is defined as least fixpoint of an operator on the continuous domain of functions of time that take values in the lattice of compact subsets of n-dimensional Euclidean space. The semantic function assigns to every point in time the set of states the automaton can visit at that time, starting from one of its initial states. Our main results are the correctness and computational adequacy of the denotational semantics with respect to the operational semantics and the fact that the denotational semantics is computable.KeywordsModel CheckerOperational SemanticIterate Function SystemReachable StateLabel Transition SystemThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.