The lazy lambda calculus 论文

摘要

Introduction The commonly accepted basis for functional programming is the -calculus; and it is folklore that the -calculus is the prototypical functional language in puri ed form. But what is the -calculus? The syntax is simple and classical; variables, abstraction and application in the pure calculus, with applied calculi obtained by adding constants. The further elaboration of the theory, covering conversion, reduction, theories and models, is laid out in Barendregt's already classical treatise [Bar84]. It is instructive to recall the following crux, which occurs rather early in that work (p. 39): Meaning of -terms: rst attempt The meaning of a -term is its normal form (if it exists). All terms without normal forms are identi ed. This proposal incorporates such a simple and natural interpretation of the -calculus as