FROM OPERATIONAL TO DENOTATIONAL SEMANTICS

In this paper operational equivalence of simple functional programs is defined, and certain basic theorems proved thereupon. These basic theorems include congruence, least fixed-point, an analogue to continuity, and fixed-point induction. We then show how any ordering on programs for which these theorems hold can be easily extended to give a fully abstract cpo for the language, giving evidence that any operational semantics with these basic theorems proven is complete with respect to a denotational semantics. Furthermore, the mathematical tools used in the paper are minimal, the techniques should be applicable to a wide class of languages, and all proofs are constructive.