Abstract

We settle an open problem, the inclusion problem for pattern languages [1, 2]. This is the first known case where inclusion is undecidable for generative devices having a trivially decidable equivalence problem. The study of patterns goes back to the seminal work of Thue [16] and is important also, for instance, in recent work concerning inductive inference and learning. Our results concern both erasing and nonerasing patterns. Categories and Subject Descriptors: F.4.3 [Mathematical Logic and Formal Languages ]: Formal Languages --- Decision problems, Algebraic language theory; F.4.1 [Mathe- matical Logic and Formal Languages]: Mathematical Logic --- Computability theory. General Terms: Theory, Formal Languages Additional Key Words and Phrases: Patterns, Inclusion problems, Equivalence problems, Descriptive patterns, Unavoidable patterns 1 Introduction. The main result Instead of an exhaustive definition for a language, [7], it is sometimes better to give more leeway in the defi...

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