Comments on the theory of inference

  The evaluation semantics presented here constitutes the first fully worked out, formal system of inference for DATR theories. This fulfills one of the original objectives of the DATR programme, as set out in E&G (1989a, 1989b), to provide the language with an explicit theory of inference. The inference rules provides a clear picture of the way in which the different constructs of the language work, and should serve as a foundation for future investigations of the mathematical and computational properties of DATR. Although the rules abstract away from particular implementational details such as order of evaluation, they can be readily understood in computational terms and may prove useful as a guide to the construction of practical DATR interpreters.