A theory of type polymorphism in programming

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A theory of type polymorphism in programming (1978)

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by Robin Milner

Venue:	Journal of Computer and System Sciences
Citations:	1076 - 1 self

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@ARTICLE{Milner78atheory,
    author = {Robin Milner},
    title = {A theory of type polymorphism in programming},
    journal = {Journal of Computer and System Sciences},
    year = {1978},
    volume = {17},
    pages = {348--375}
}

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Abstract

The aim of this work is largely a practical one. A widely employed style of programming, particularly in structure-processing languages which impose no discipline of types, entails defining procedures which work well on objects of a wide variety. We present a formal type discipline for such polymorphic procedures in the context of a simple pro-gramming language, and a compile time type-checking algorithm w which enforces the discipline. A Semantic Soundness Theorem (based on a formal semantics for the language) states that well-type programs cannot “go wrong ” and a Syntactic Soundness Theorem states that if fl accepts a program then it is well typed. We also discuss extending these results to richer languages; a type-checking algorithm based on w is in fact already implemented and working, for the metalanguage ML in the Edinburgh LCF system, 1.

Keyphrases

type polymorphism structure-processing language wide variety well-type program compile time type-checking algorithm formal type discipline type-checking algorithm polymorphic procedure simple pro-gramming language semantic soundness theorem metalanguage ml practical one edinburgh lcf system syntactic soundness theorem formal semantics

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