X-Git-Url: http://lambda.jimpryor.net/git/gitweb.cgi?a=blobdiff_plain;ds=inline;f=week2.mdwn;h=37b717787fa0d2eca16ee42b9fe6c66900a722de;hb=42db6a206c30f67c0693e8b367c46d5c86e65d9b;hp=77459bfda891dc264e5619162878263015ef5706;hpb=c359efaee71b34e8db4e7527c75766fde6c0e8fa;p=lambda.git diff --git a/week2.mdwn b/week2.mdwn index 77459bfd..37b71778 100644 --- a/week2.mdwn +++ b/week2.mdwn @@ -6,6 +6,13 @@ Define T to be `(\x. x y) z`. Then T and `(\x. x y) z` are syntactically equal,
T ≡ (\x. x y) z ≡ (\z. z y) z
+[Fussy note: the justification for counting `(\x. x y) z` as
+equivalent to `(\z. z y) z` is that when a lambda binds a set of
+occurrences, it doesn't matter which variable serves to carry out the
+binding. Either way, the function does the same thing and means the
+same thing. Look in the standard treatments for discussions of alpha
+equivalence for more detail.]
+
This:
T ~~> z y
@@ -23,7 +30,10 @@ Lambda expressions that have no free variables are known as **combinators**. Her
> **I** is defined to be `\x x`
-> **K** is defined to be `\x y. x`, That is, it throws away its second argument. So `K x` is a constant function from any (further) argument to `x`. ("K" for "constant".) Compare K to our definition of **true**.
+> **K** is defined to be `\x y. x`, That is, it throws away its
+ second argument. So `K x` is a constant function from any
+ (further) argument to `x`. ("K" for "constant".) Compare K
+ to our definition of **true**.
> **get-first** was our function for extracting the first element of an ordered pair: `\fst snd. fst`. Compare this to **K** and **true** as well.
@@ -35,9 +45,29 @@ It's possible to build a logical system equally powerful as the lambda calculus
One can do that with a very spare set of basic combinators. These days the standard base is just three combinators: K and I from above, and also one more, **S**, which behaves the same as the lambda expression `\f g x. f x (g x)`. behaves. But it's possible to be even more minimalistic, and get by with only a single combinator. (And there are different single-combinator bases you can choose.)
+There are some well-known linguistic applications of Combinatory
+Logic, due to Anna Szabolcsi, Mark Steedman, and Pauline Jacobson.
+Szabolcsi supposed that the meanings of certain expressions could be
+insightfully expressed in the form of combinators. A couple more
+combinators:
+
+ **C** is defined to be: `\f x y. f y x` [swap arguments]
+
+ **W** is defined to be: `\f x . f x x` [duplicate argument]
+
+For instance, Szabolcsi argues that reflexive pronouns are argument
+duplicators.
+
+![test](./szabolcsi-reflexive.png)
+
+![Szabolcsi's analysis of *himself* as the duplicator combinator](szabolcsi-reflexive.jpg)
+
+
These systems are Turing complete. In other words: every computation we know how to describe can be represented in a logical system consisting of only a single primitive operation!
-Here's more to read about combinatorial logic:
+Here's more to read about combinatorial logic.
+Surely the most entertaining exposition is Smullyan's [[!wikipedia To_Mock_a_Mockingbird]].
+Other sources include
* [[!wikipedia Combinatory logic]] at Wikipedia
* [Combinatory logic](http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logic-combinatory/) at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy