OpenProse Folk Register

This is a skin layer. It requires prose.md to be loaded first. All execution semantics, state management, and VM behavior are defined there. This file only provides keyword translations.

An alternative register for OpenProse that leans into literary, theatrical, and folklore terminology. The functional register prioritizes utility and clarity; the folk register prioritizes whimsy and narrative flow.

How to Use

1. Load prose.md first (execution semantics)
2. Load this file (keyword translations)
3. When parsing .prose files, accept folk keywords as aliases for functional keywords
4. All execution behavior remains identical—only surface syntax changes

Design constraint: Still aims to be "structured but self-evident" per the language tenets—just self-evident to a different sensibility.

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Complete Translation Map

Core Constructs

Functional	Folk	Origin	Connotation
agent	sprite	Folklore	Quick, light, ephemeral spirit helper
session	scene	Theatre	A moment of action, theatrical framing
parallel	ensemble	Theatre	Everyone performs together
block	act	Theatre	Reusable unit of dramatic action

Composition & Binding

Functional	Folk	Origin	Connotation
use	summon	Folklore	Calling forth from elsewhere
input	given	Fairy tale	"Given a magic sword..."
output	yield	Agriculture/magic	What the spell produces
let	name	Folklore	Naming has power (true names)
const	seal	Medieval	Unchangeable, wax seal on decree
context	bearing	Heraldry	What the messenger carries

Control Flow

Functional	Folk	Origin	Connotation
repeat N	N times	Fairy tale	"Three times she called..."
for...in	for each...among	Narrative	Slightly more storytelling
loop	loop	—	Already poetic, unchanged
until	until	—	Already works, unchanged
while	while	—	Already works, unchanged
choice	crossroads	Folklore	Fateful decisions at the crossroads
option	path	Journey	Which path to take
if	when	Narrative	"When the moon rises..."
elif	or when	Narrative	Continued conditional
else	otherwise	Storytelling	Natural narrative alternative

Error Handling

Functional	Folk	Origin	Connotation
try	venture	Adventure	Attempting something uncertain
catch	should it fail	Narrative	Conditional failure handling
finally	ever after	Fairy tale	"And ever after..."
throw	cry	Drama	Raising alarm, calling out
retry	persist	Quest	Keep trying against odds

Session Properties

Functional	Folk	Origin	Connotation
prompt	charge	Chivalry	Giving a quest or duty
model	voice	Theatre	Which voice speaks

Unchanged

These keywords already have poetic quality or are too functional to replace sensibly:

• **...** discretion markers — already "breaking the fourth wall"
• loop, until, while — already work narratively
• map, filter, reduce, pmap — pipeline operators, functional is fine
• max — constraint modifier
• as — aliasing
• Model names: sonnet, opus, haiku — already poetic

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Simple Program

# Functional
use "@alice/research" as research
input topic: "What to investigate"

agent helper:
  model: sonnet

let findings = session: helper
  prompt: "Research {topic}"

output summary = session "Summarize"
  context: findings

# Folk
summon "@alice/research" as research
given topic: "What to investigate"

sprite helper:
  voice: sonnet

name findings = scene: helper
  charge: "Research {topic}"

yield summary = scene "Summarize"
  bearing: findings

Parallel Execution

# Functional
parallel:
  security = session "Check security"
  perf = session "Check performance"
  style = session "Check style"

session "Synthesize review"
  context: { security, perf, style }

# Folk
ensemble:
  security = scene "Check security"
  perf = scene "Check performance"
  style = scene "Check style"

scene "Synthesize review"
  bearing: { security, perf, style }

Loop with Condition

# Functional
loop until **the code is bug-free** (max: 5):
  session "Find and fix bugs"

# Folk
loop until **the code is bug-free** (max: 5):
  scene "Find and fix bugs"

Error Handling

# Functional
try:
  session "Risky operation"
catch as err:
  session "Handle error"
    context: err
finally:
  session "Cleanup"

# Folk
venture:
  scene "Risky operation"
should it fail as err:
  scene "Handle error"
    bearing: err
ever after:
  scene "Cleanup"

Choice Block

# Functional
choice **the severity level**:
  option "Critical":
    session "Escalate immediately"
  option "Minor":
    session "Log for later"

# Folk
crossroads **the severity level**:
  path "Critical":
    scene "Escalate immediately"
  path "Minor":
    scene "Log for later"

Conditionals

# Functional
if **has security issues**:
  session "Fix security"
elif **has performance issues**:
  session "Optimize"
else:
  session "Approve"

# Folk
when **has security issues**:
  scene "Fix security"
or when **has performance issues**:
  scene "Optimize"
otherwise:
  scene "Approve"

Reusable Blocks

# Functional
block review(topic):
  session "Research {topic}"
  session "Analyze {topic}"

do review("quantum computing")

# Folk
act review(topic):
  scene "Research {topic}"
  scene "Analyze {topic}"

perform review("quantum computing")

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The Case For Folk

1. "OpenProse" is literary. Prose is a literary form—why not lean in?
2. Fourth wall is theatrical. **...** already uses theatre terminology.
3. Signals difference. Literary terms say "this is not your typical DSL."
4. Internally consistent. Everything draws from folklore/theatre/narrative.
5. Memorable. sprite, scene, crossroads stick in the mind.
6. Model names already fit. sonnet, opus, haiku are poetic forms.

The Case Against Folk

1. Cultural knowledge required. Not everyone knows folklore tropes.
2. Harder to Google. "OpenProse summon" vs "OpenProse import."
3. May feel precious. Some users want utilitarian tools.
4. Translation overhead. Mental mapping to familiar concepts.

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Alternatives Considered

For sprite (ephemeral agent)

Keyword	Origin	Rejected because
spark	English	Good but less folklore
wisp	English	Too insubstantial
herald	English	More messenger than worker
courier	French	Good functional alternative, not literary
envoy	French	Formal, diplomatic

For shade (persistent agent, if implemented)

Keyword	Origin	Rejected because
daemon	Greek/Unix	Unix "always running" connotation
oracle	Greek	Too "read-only" feeling
spirit	Latin	Too close to sprite
specter	Latin	Negative/spooky connotation
genius	Roman	Overloaded (smart person)

For ensemble (parallel)

Keyword	Origin	Rejected because
chorus	Greek	Everyone speaks same thing, not different
troupe	French	Good alternative, slightly less clear
company	Theatre	Overloaded (business)

For crossroads (choice)

Keyword	Origin	Rejected because
fork	Path	Too technical (git fork)
branch	Tree	Also too technical
divergence	Latin	Too abstract

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Verdict

Preserved for benchmarking against the functional register. The functional register remains the primary path, but folk provides an interesting data point for:

1. Learnability — Which is easier for newcomers?
2. Memorability — Which sticks better?
3. Error rates — Which leads to fewer mistakes?
4. Preference — Which do users actually prefer?

A future experiment could present both registers and measure outcomes.