The use of action semantics

Formal descriptions of semantics have so far failed to match the acceptance and popularity of formal descriptions of syntax. Thus, in current standards for programming languages, syntax is usually described formally but semantics informally, despite the greater danger of impreciseness in the description of semantics. Possible reasons for this state of affairs are discussed. Action Semantics, which has been developed from Denotational Semantics and Abstract Semantic Algebras, has some features that may make it more attractive than other semantic formalisms. This paper describes and motivates Action Semantics, and gives some realistic examples of its use.