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Formalising the Essence of Diagrammatic Syntax

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Theory and Application of Diagrams (Diagrams 2000)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1889))

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Abstract

Diagrams have a long history as visual aids which assist in structuring and simplifying potentially complex reasoning tasks. Recent years have witnessed a rapid, ongoing popularisation of diagrammatic notations in the specification, modelling and programming of computing systems, leading to diagrammatic languages requiring increasingly complex semantic interpretations. A general theory of diagrammatic languages, following those of more typical text-based languages, requires as a minimum an account of diagram syntax, of semantics, and of interpretations: the relationships between syntax and semantics. A satisfactory theory of diagrams must also account for more cognitive aspects, notably the ways in which pragmatic features of diagrams contribute to their effectiveness for human users, and how individual cognitive differences affect human interpretation of diagrams.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh, 2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9LW, UK

    Corin Gurr & Konstantinos Tourlas

Authors
  1. Corin Gurr
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  2. Konstantinos Tourlas
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Hartford, Dana Hall 230, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, Connecticut, 06117, USA

    Michael Anderson

  2. School of Psychology ESRC Centre for Research in Development, Instruction and Training, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    Peter Cheng

  3. Computer Science Department, University of Hamburg, Vogt-Koelln-Str. 30, 22527, Hamburg, Germany

    Volker Haarslev

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© 2000 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Gurr, C., Tourlas, K. (2000). Formalising the Essence of Diagrammatic Syntax. In: Anderson, M., Cheng, P., Haarslev, V. (eds) Theory and Application of Diagrams. Diagrams 2000. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 1889. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44590-0_42

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44590-0_42

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-67915-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-44590-6

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