underspecification
Leaving things ambiguous
Underspecification is leaving something incompletely defined, whether deliberately or by oversight.
In linguistics and computing, an underspecified representation omits details that will be filled in later or determined by context.
More broadly, any requirement, plan, or description that lacks necessary detail is underspecified: The contract was underspecified about payment terms.
Rules for arranging words
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- pragmaticsLanguage-in-context study
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
ambiguity · interpretation · minimalism · ellipsis · anaphora · defaults · constraints · neutralization
Absence of precision
- imprecisionLack of exactness
- indefinitenessLack of clear boundaries
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
- unclearnessAbsence of clarity
generality · inexactness · open-endedness · incompleteness · fuzziness · nebulousness · indistinctness · looseness
Lack of fixed outcome
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- referenceDirecting attention elsewhere
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
Necessary conditions for something
- defaultsPreset options or failures
- parametersDefined boundaries or constraints
- configurationArrangement of parts
- implementationPutting plans into effect
abstraction · interface · API · flexibility · extensibility · polymorphism · generics · wildcards
Willingness to accept difference
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- constraintsLimits on action
- clearancePermitted passage or approval
- allowanceFixed periodic payment
syntax
Rules for arranging words
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- pragmaticsLanguage-in-context study
- phonologyScience of language sounds
morphology · ambiguity · interpretation · minimalism · ellipsis · anaphora · defaults · constraints · neutralization · resolution
vagueness
Absence of precision
- imprecisionLack of exactness
- indefinitenessLack of clear boundaries
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
unclearness · generality · inexactness · open-endedness · incompleteness · fuzziness · nebulousness · indistinctness · looseness · broadness
indeterminacy
Lack of fixed outcome
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- referenceDirecting attention elsewhere
requirements
Necessary conditions for something
- defaultsPreset options or failures
- parametersDefined boundaries or constraints
- configurationArrangement of parts
implementation · abstraction · interface · API · flexibility · extensibility · polymorphism · generics · wildcards · placeholder
tolerance
Willingness to accept difference
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- constraintsLimits on action
- clearancePermitted passage or approval
- shorteningabbreviation, abbreviating, abridgment, truncating, truncation
- phonologyphonemes, phoneme, consonants, vowels, allophone
underspecificationexplicitness
Quality of being unambiguous
precision · comprehensiveness · completeness · clarity · specificity
underspecificationexplicitness
Quality of being unambiguous
precision · clarity · specificity · definiteness · exactness
specific, specify, specified, underlying, specifically, specification, specifying, unspecified, nonspecific