What English word would you use to describe a particular example of a type constructor, in the sense that `List[Int]` and `List[String]` are examples of `List`s? I'd like to avoid calling them "examples" if possible.
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This question arose because we can talk about `List`'s type parameter being "instantiated" (that is, decided during typechecking) to `Int` or `String`, but saying `List[Int]` is an instance of a type is problematic because it implies the creation of a new heap object.
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So while "List[Int] is an instance of a List" is correct in a certain context, I don't want to confuse my readers by assuming they have precisely that context and not a slightly different one. Any ideas?
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Specialization? Might not hold for all the uses, but kind of tells what you mean, right?
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Not quite, for similar reasons... I might say that `List[Int]` is a specialization of `List[AnyVal]`, but I would need `List` to be a proper type and not a type constructor to feel like "specialization" is the right term. This is like playing Minesweeper with overloaded words...
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A specimen?
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That's an interesting one... I certainly shan't rule it out! :)
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Variants
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"Variant" was actually my instinctive choice... but I put it to one side because it sounded too close to "variance". But having said that, *variance* governs different *variants* of a type, which might make it actually a perfect choice. The allusion to variance is a good thing!
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A specified List? List[Int] is a specified type of List. Still seems a bit clunky.
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Yes, I'm just thinking through some usages, and "specified" does sound a bit cumbersome, maybe because it's a past participle...?
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I'm not a native speaker, but how about "concretization"?
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It brought a smile to my face, at least! Mainly because it's one of those words that comes from a noun that's mutated into a verb, that's mutated further to turn it into a noun. Though it's the opposite of "abstraction", which is slightly the wrong meaning, unfortunately.
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