The design and implementation of programming languages, from Fortran and Cobol to Caml and Java, has been one of the key developments in the management of ever more complex computerized systems. Introduction to the Theory of Programming Languages gives the reader the means to discover the tools to think, design, and implement these languages. It proposes a unified vision of the different formalisms that permit definition of a programming language: small steps operational semantics, big steps operational semantics, and denotational semantics, emphasising that all seek to define a relation between three objects: a program, an input value, and an output value. These formalisms are illustrated by presenting the semantics of some typical features of programming languages: functions, recursivity, assignments, records, objects, ... showing that the study of programming languages does not consist of studying languages one after another, but is organized around the features that are present in these various languages. The study of these features leads to the development of evaluators, interpreters and compilers, and also type inference algorithms, for small languages.

In programming courses, using the different syntax of multiple languages, such as C++, Java, PHP, and Python, for the same abstraction often confuses students new to computer science. Introduction to Programming Languages separates programming language concepts from the restraints of multiple language syntax by discussing the concepts at an abstract level. Designed for a one-semester undergraduate course, this classroom-tested book teaches the principles of programming language design and implementation. It presents: Common features of programming languages at an abstract level rather than a comparative level The implementation model and behavior of programming paradigms at abstract levels so that students understand the power and limitations of programming paradigms Language constructs at a paradigm level A holistic view of programming language design and behavior To make the book self-contained, the author introduces the necessary concepts of data structures and discrete structures from the perspective of programming language theory. The text covers classical topics, such as syntax and semantics, imperative programming, program structures, information exchange between subprograms, object-oriented programming, logic programming, and functional programming. It also explores newer topics, including dependency analysis, communicating sequential processes, concurrent programming constructs, web and multimedia programming, event-based programming, agent-based programming, synchronous languages, high-productivity programming on massive parallel computers, models for mobile computing, and much more. Along with problems and further reading in each chapter, the book includes in-depth examples and case studies using various languages that help students understand syntax in practical contexts.

The Formal Semantics of Programming Languages provides the basic mathematical techniques necessary for those who are beginning a study of the semantics and logics of programming languages. These techniques will allow students to invent, formalize, and justify rules with which to reason about a variety of programming languages. Although the treatment is elementary, several of the topics covered are drawn from recent research, including the vital area of concurency. The book contains many exercises ranging from simple to miniprojects.Starting with basic set theory, structural operational semantics is introduced as a way to define the meaning of programming languages along with associated proof techniques. Denotational and axiomatic semantics are illustrated on a simple language of while-programs, and fall proofs are given of the equivalence of the operational and denotational semantics and soundness and relative completeness of the axiomatic semantics. A proof of Godel's incompleteness theorem, which emphasizes the impossibility of achieving a fully complete axiomatic semantics, is included. It is supported by an appendix providing an introduction to the theory of computability based on while-programs. Following a presentation of domain theory, the semantics and methods of proof for several functional languages are treated. The simplest language is that of recursion equations with both call-by-value and call-by-name evaluation. This work is extended to lan guages with higher and recursive types, including a treatment of the eager and lazy lambda-calculi. Throughout, the relationship between denotational and operational semantics is stressed, and the proofs of the correspondence between the operation and denotational semantics are provided. The treatment of recursive types - one of the more advanced parts of the book - relies on the use of information systems to represent domains. The book concludes with a chapter on parallel programming languages, accompanied by a discussion of methods for specifying and verifying nondeterministic and parallel programs.

First published in 1998, this textbook is a broad but rigourous survey of the theoretical basis for the design, definition and implementation of programming languages and of systems for specifying and proving programme behaviour. Both imperative and functional programming are covered, as well as the ways of integrating these aspects into more general languages. Recognising a unity of technique beneath the diversity of research in programming languages, the author presents an integrated treatment of the basic principles of the subject. He identifies the relatively small number of concepts, such as compositional semantics, binding structure, domains, transition systems and inference rules, that serve as the foundation of the field. Assuming only knowledge of elementary programming and mathematics, this text is perfect for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses in programming language theory and also will appeal to researchers and professionals in designing or implementing computer languages.

A comprehensive introduction to type systems and programming languages. A type system is a syntactic method for automatically checking the absence of certain erroneous behaviors by classifying program phrases according to the kinds of values they compute. The study of type systems—and of programming languages from a type-theoretic perspective—has important applications in software engineering, language design, high-performance compilers, and security. This text provides a comprehensive introduction both to type systems in computer science and to the basic theory of programming languages. The approach is pragmatic and operational; each new concept is motivated by programming examples and the more theoretical sections are driven by the needs of implementations. Each chapter is accompanied by numerous exercises and solutions, as well as a running implementation, available via the Web. Dependencies between chapters are explicitly identified, allowing readers to choose a variety of paths through the material. The core topics include the untyped lambda-calculus, simple type systems, type reconstruction, universal and existential polymorphism, subtyping, bounded quantification, recursive types, kinds, and type operators. Extended case studies develop a variety of approaches to modeling the features of object-oriented languages.

This book unifies a broad range of programming language concepts under the framework of type systems and structural operational semantics.

A comprehensive undergraduate textbook covering both theory and practical design issues, with an emphasis on object-oriented languages.

A textbook that uses a hands-on approach to teach principles of programming languages, with Java as the implementation language. This introductory textbook uses a hands-on approach to teach the principles of programming languages. Using Java as the implementation language, Rajan covers a range of emerging topics, including concurrency, Big Data, and event-driven programming. Students will learn to design, implement, analyze, and understand both domain-specific and general-purpose programming languages. Develops basic concepts in languages, including means of computation, means of combination, and means of abstraction. Examines imperative features such as references, concurrency features such as fork, and reactive features such as event handling. Covers language features that express differing perspectives of thinking about computation, including those of logic programming and flow-based programming. Presumes Java programming experience and understanding of object-oriented classes, inheritance, polymorphism, and static classes. Each chapter corresponds with a working implementation of a small programming language allowing students to follow along.

This book provides an introduction to the essential concepts in programming languages, using operational semantics techniques. It presents alternative programming language paradigms and gives an in-depth analysis of the most significant constructs in modern imperative, functional and logic programming languages. The book is designed to accompany lectures on programming language design for undergraduate students. Each chapter includes exercises which provide the opportunity to apply the concepts and techniques presented.