Memelang

v02 · 17 Oct 2024 · Bri Holt · info@memelang.net

Basic Syntax

Memelang is a notation system for efficiently encoding and querying complex knowledge. In Memelang, the smallest unit of knowledge is a meme. A meme states some idea A has some relation R to some other idea B.

A.R:B = Q;

A breakdown of each expression:

`A`	The A starts the statement without punctuation.
.`R`	The relation is preceded by a dot.
:`B`	The B ends the statement preceded by a colon.
=`Q`	Where Q=1 is true and Q=0 is false.
;	The statement is closed with a semi-colon.

For example, "Alice's uncle is Bob," where A=Alice and R=uncle, and B=Bob. Memelang encodes this relation thusly:

Alice.uncle:Bob = 1;

Relation Chains

Memelang supports chained relations, where the relation “uncle” can be expressed as “parent’s brother.”

Alice.uncle:Bob = Alice.parent.brother:Bob;

Relation Rules

To define general rules, use == to indicate equivalence between relations:

.uncle == .parent.brother;

Inverse Relations

Given that Alice's uncle is Bob, then Bob's niece is Alice. This inverse relation is expressed by swapping A and B and using an apostrophe instad of a dot:

Alice.uncle:Bob = Bob'uncle:Alice;

Relation chains are inverted by inverting each relation and reversing their order:

'uncle == 'brother'parent;

All of this notation can be summarized as:

// Given
.uncle == .parent.brother;

// Then these statements are equivalent
Alice.uncle:Bob = 
   Bob'uncle:Alice = 
   Alice.parent.brother:Bob =  
   Bob'brother'parent:Alice;

Range Quantities

Q can represent decimal quantites as well as true/false. When Q is a quantity, R is a range relation and B is a unit.

element.range:unit = quantity;

For example, "Alice's height is 1.6 meters" is encoded:

Alice.height:meter = 1.6;

Inverse Ranges

The inverse of a range relation inverts the quantity to 1/Q. Using the prior example, the inverted relation states that "one meter's height is 1/1.6 Alices."

Alice.height:meter = 1.6;
Alice'height:meter = 1/1.6 = 0.625;
meter'height:Alice = 1.6;
meter.height:Alice = 1/1.6 = 0.625;

Query Operations

Known memes are stored in the database where they can be queried. A query consists of an incomplete Memelang statement and returns a set of memes. Try the Memelang query demo.

`Alice`	Finds all memes related to Alice.
`Alice`.`uncle`	Finds all of Alice's uncles.
.`uncle`:`Bob`	Finds all nieces/nephews of Bob.
`Alice`:`Bob`	Finds all direct relationships between Alice and Bob.

Quantity Comparisons

Comparison operators filter the preceding set according to the Q values. Herein, M and N denote statements such as A.R:B.

M M=`t`	Default true, finds memes where `Q!=0`.
M=`Qx`	Finds memes where `Q` equals `Qx`.
M>`Qx`	Finds memes where `Q` is greater than `Qx`.
M<`Qx`	Finds memes where `Q` is less than `Qx`.
M>=`Qx`	Finds memes where `Q` is greater than or equal to `Qx`.
M<=`Qx`	Finds memes where `Q` is less than or equal to `Qx`.
M!=`Qx`	Finds memes where `Q` does NOT equal `Qx`.
M=`f`	Finds "false" memes with no matching `M` or `Q=0`.

AND Queries

To perform an AND query with multiple conditions, simply separate each condition with a space. This filters for all A that match every query condition. The following example finds individuals whose uncle is Bob and whose height is less than 1.6 meters:

.uncle:Bob .height:meter<1.6

The example below finds individuals whose uncle is Bob and height is less than 1.6 meters, but excludes those whose aunt is Cindy or who attended college:

.uncle:Bob .height:meter<1.6 .aunt:Cindy=f .college=f

GET Queries

By default, a query returns only the memes relevant to the search criteria. Adding M=g returns additional memes for the matching A set. For example, to also return weight:

.uncle:Bob .height:meter<1.6 .aunt:Cindy=f .college=f .weight:kilogram=g

To get all memes for the matching A set, use qry.all:

.uncle:Bob .height:meter<1.6 .aunt:Cindy=f .college=f qry.all

OR Queries

Memelang allows OR grouping by setting statements equal to tn where n is 1, 2, 3... For example, the below query finds A whose uncle is Bob, and whose aunt is Cindy or Diana:

.uncle:Bob .aunt:Cindy=t1 .aunt:Diana=t1

Implication Operations

M => N;	Partial implication: `M` implies `N`.
M == N;	Mutual implication: `M` implies `N` and vice versa.
.`shape`:`triangle` => .`internalAngle`:`degree`=`180`;	Here, every `A` that is a triangle has internal angles of 180°.

Development

Available development tools:

We need you to help us develop Memelang projects such as:

Database plugins (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite)
Memelang-specific database systems
Blockchain integration for immutable storage
Visualizers and proof assistants

Changelog from Version 01

Renamed the language from Memetics to Memelang.
Shortened true false to t f respectively.
Replaced the term measure relation with range relation.
Inverting a range relation inverts the quantity.
Added GET query M=g.
Reaplced OR operator | with grouping Q=t1.
Replaced query set junction & with whitespaces.
Streamlined features for clairty.