EASEy: An English-Like Programming Language for Artificial Intelligence and Complex Information Processing

Abstract

EASEy (an Encoder for Algorithmic Syntactic English that's easy)is a programming language for list-processing and pattern-matching systems of the sort typically used for artificial intelligence and complex information processing. EASEy is designed primarily with ease of reading in mind, so that the reader can examine the actual program itself, rather than rely upon the inevitably vague verbal descriptions of programs. It is an English-like version of a subset of SNOBOL4 [3], with several extensions that enhance SNOBOL's list-processing capabilities. This paper gives several. examples of EASEy programs, for pattern recognition, deductive problem-solving, learning, and information processing, comparing them with equivalent programs in LISP and SNOBOL4, and with verbal algorithms. It also includes the primer for EASEy.