Effect-driven interpretation: Functors for natural language composition
This addresses a foundational problem in computational linguistics for researchers studying language structure and semantics.
The paper tackles the problem of analyzing natural language composition by proposing that human languages are organized around pure values and impure processes, similar to computer programs. It aims to show how denotational techniques from computer science can support elegant analyses of this composition.
Computer programs are often factored into pure components -- simple, total functions from inputs to outputs -- and components that may have side effects -- errors, changes to memory, parallel threads, abortion of the current loop, etc. We make the case that human languages are similarly organized around the give and pull of pure values and impure processes, and we'll aim to show how denotational techniques from computer science can be leveraged to support elegant and illuminating analyses of natural language composition.