An algebra of lines and boxes

Language design is driven by the interaction between syntax and semantics: changing the way concepts are represented affects the case with which they can be understood and related to one another. A spatial syntax of lines and boxes can be defined to have algebraic properties such that (i) touching represents data structuring, (ii) adjacency represents application, and (iii) separation represents superposition. These operations form the core of a programming semantics, when augmented with emblems that decorate “geometric” elements to give them attributes and meanings