X-Git-Url: http://lambda.jimpryor.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=lambda.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=topics%2F_week6_plexy.mdwn;h=79d081e312c78501bbba41f4d180f9d5721090c9;hp=b93c29eb7ac8d258950d8b2d42d74344208acd53;hb=5186270ce99d2ebe9e761defb1fbf63bd002d679;hpb=92b29e26e2757114e378add97be8ccc111d3fea0 diff --git a/topics/_week6_plexy.mdwn b/topics/_week6_plexy.mdwn index b93c29eb..79d081e3 100644 --- a/topics/_week6_plexy.mdwn +++ b/topics/_week6_plexy.mdwn @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ -Motivating types; motivating the Maybe monad -============================================ +Motivating types; our first glimpse of the Maybe monad +====================================================== In [[a long footnote discussing Russell|readings/kaplan-plexy.pdf]], Kaplan 1989:496 poses a problem for the interaction of structured @@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ nicety is not crucial to our discussion here.) ## Types to the rescue Kaplan's solution is, in effect, to impose a type system on his -grammar in such a way that structured meanings cannot be confused with +grammar in such a way that complex structured meanings cannot be confused with the referent of a directly-referential term. He suggests that the meaning of a directly referential term always be marked by a special bit of structure that is unique to direct reference. More concretely, @@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ directly-referential expressions: {} if there is no object that E refers to, or else {P} if E refers to P -In later weeks, we will call this technique the Maybe monad. +In later weeks, we will call the general form of this technique the Maybe type, and the general strategy for deploying this type the Maybe monad. -Kaplan, D. 1989. "Demonstratives. InJ. Almog, J. Perry, & H. Wettstein +Kaplan, D. 1989. "Demonstratives. In J. Almog, J. Perry, & H. Wettstein (Eds.), Themes from Kaplan (pp. 481-563)."