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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I would go with "type". In that reading, List is not a type, it's a type constructor.
I discovered while writing http://scala.zone that it's very convenient (but not so precise) to talk about "the type `List`" or say "`map` is defined on `List`", and for the meaning to be clear and unambiguous. I started out trying to be precise everywhere, but backtracked.
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So I do use `type` quite loosely in a few places, but it really is a delicate balance between precision and general readability...
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I'd support the use of type, they'll see the fully parametric type in a type position, I think it helps with the beginner intuition.
End of conversation
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I see, yes sometimes less precision makes things easier. Of course one could overload "type" to mean both * -> * as well as * and disambiguate where necessary.
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