Generalized Discontinuity

Abstract

We define and study a calculus of discontinuity, a version of displacement calculus, which is a logic of segmented strings in exactly the same sense that the Lambek calculus is a logic of strings. Like the Lambek calculus, the displacement calculus is a sequence logic free of structural rules, and enjoys Cut-elimination and its corollaries: the subformula property, decidability, and the finite reading property. The foci of this paper are a formulation with a finite number of connectives, and consideration of how to extend the calculus with defined connectives while preserving its good properties.