Formal semantics and interpreters in a principles of programming languages course

Abstract

Most junior-senior level programming languages courses approach the subject either from the point-of-view of principles (concepts) of programming languages or from the perspective of understanding languages through writing progressively more complex interpreters. In this paper we show how to use formal semantics in a series of interpreter assignments in a principles or concepts-based course. The interpreter assignments make the semantics more concrete for students while providing a deeper understanding of concepts.