What is the meaning of an expression?

From	Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org>
Newsgroups	comp.compilers
Subject	What is the meaning of an expression?
Date	2022-01-14 12:15 +0000
Organization	Compilers Central
Message-ID	<22-01-052@comp.compilers> (permalink)

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Hello Compiler Experts!

In some book I read this statement:

	The meaning of an expression is
 	the value of the expression.

For example, the meaning of this expression:

	1 + 1

is 2.

Originally I thought I read the statement in some math book, but after
searching through my books and after talking to some mathematicians, I believe
that I did not read it in any math book.

Today while reading the Bison manual, I noticed in it a sentence that said:

	... the meaning of a variable ...

Aha! Perhaps it was in a Bison book or a compiler book that I read the
statement. Is the statement something that you would say? If yes, why do you
say it? The mathematicians and linguists that I spoke to thought the statement
was crazy. Perhaps the statement is appropriate in the context of compilers,
but not elsewhere? Also, from your perspective are these two statements
equivalent:

	The meaning of an expression is
 	the value of the expression.

	The semantics of an expression is
 	the value of the expression.

Do you always use the word "meaning" or do you sometimes use the word
"semantics"? Do the two words mean (no pun intended) the same thing to you,
from a compiler perspective?

/Roger
[I think the meaning here is not to believe everything you read. -John]

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Thread

What is the meaning of an expression? Roger L Costello <costello@mitre.org> - 2022-01-14 12:15 +0000
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2022-01-14 18:20 +0000
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Hans-Peter Diettrich <DrDiettrich1@netscape.net> - 2022-01-15 00:28 +0100
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? gah4 <gah4@u.washington.edu> - 2022-01-14 17:58 -0800
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? George Neuner <gneuner2@comcast.net> - 2022-01-15 02:05 -0500
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? "matt.ti...@gmail.com" <matt.timmermans@gmail.com> - 2022-01-15 06:21 -0800
    Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2022-02-03 12:50 +0000
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com> - 2022-01-16 07:44 -0800
    Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com> - 2022-01-17 15:45 -0800
      Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com> - 2022-01-18 10:03 -0800
        Re: What is the meaning of an expression? gah4 <gah4@u.washington.edu> - 2022-01-18 15:18 -0800
          Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Hans-Peter Diettrich <DrDiettrich1@netscape.net> - 2022-01-19 11:54 +0100
            Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Jan Ziak <0xe2.0x9a.0x9b@gmail.com> - 2022-01-19 09:17 -0800
              Re: What is the meaning of an expression? gah4 <gah4@u.washington.edu> - 2022-01-19 14:03 -0800
              Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Hans-Peter Diettrich <DrDiettrich1@netscape.net> - 2022-01-20 13:02 +0100
                Re: What is the meaning of an expression? dave_thompson_2@comcast.net - 2022-01-30 22:51 -0500
            Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Christopher F Clark <christopher.f.clark@compiler-resources.com> - 2022-01-19 20:13 +0200
              Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2022-01-22 20:46 +0000
  Re: What is the meaning of an expression? Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2022-01-19 20:51 +0000

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