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Compositionally

Compositionality is a fundamental concept in linguistics, philosophy, and computer science, referring to the way meaning in language is constructed from the meanings of its constituent parts. The principle of compositionality holds that the meaning of a complex expression is determined by the meanings of its constituent expressions and the rules used to combine them.

In linguistics, compositionality is often discussed in the context of semantics, the study of meaning. It is

In philosophy, compositionality is a key issue in the debate between conceptualism and nominalism. Conceptualists argue

In computer science, compositionality is a crucial principle in the design of programming languages and software

Despite its widespread acceptance, the principle of compositionality has been challenged by various arguments, including those

closely
related
to
the
principle
of
compositional
semantics,
which
states
that
the
meaning
of
a
sentence
is
a
function
of
the
meanings
of
its
parts
and
the
syntactic
rules
used
to
combine
them.
This
principle
is
central
to
the
development
of
formal
semantics,
which
aims
to
provide
a
rigorous,
mathematical
framework
for
understanding
meaning.
that
the
meaning
of
a
complex
expression
is
determined
by
the
meanings
of
its
constituent
concepts,
while
nominalists
deny
this
and
maintain
that
the
meaning
of
a
complex
expression
is
not
reducible
to
the
meanings
of
its
constituent
expressions.
systems.
It
allows
for
the
construction
of
complex
programs
from
simpler,
reusable
components,
making
it
easier
to
understand,
maintain,
and
extend
software.
Compositional
programming
languages,
such
as
Haskell
and
Scala,
emphasize
the
use
of
higher-order
functions
and
other
compositional
techniques
to
build
complex
programs
from
simple,
modular
components.
based
on
the
phenomenon
of
non-compositional
idioms
and
the
problem
of
context-dependence.
However,
these
challenges
have
not
yet
led
to
a
widespread
rejection
of
the
principle,
and
compositionality
remains
a
central
concept
in
the
study
of
meaning
and
the
design
of
software
systems.