Part 0 — Foundation

Status

• Normative baseline: Part 0 defines the constitutional layer of Rhoe Language 0.9.0.
• Part 0 is authoritative over every humane source surface and every realization or runtime concern.

Scope

• Language identity and versioning
• Abstract ontology and root object
• Canonical serialization and validation doctrine
• Terminology and authority model
• Processing pipeline and normalization
• Semantic attributes, brand, and critic doctrine
• Stable identity, numbering, and cross-reference policy
• Surface equivalence and notation-island doctrine
• Core registries
• Artifact Workbench contract authority and downstream consumption rules

Chapter Order

• 01-language-identity-and-versioning.md
• 02-abstract-ontology-and-root-artifact.md
• 03-canonical-serialization-and-validation.md
• 04-terminology-taxonomy-and-authority-model.md
• 05-processing-pipeline-and-normalization.md
• 06-semantic-attributes-brand-and-critic-doctrine.md
• 07-stable-identity-numbering-and-cross-references.md
• 08-source-surfaces-notation-islands-and-surface-equivalence.md
• 09-core-registries.md
• 10-artifact-workbench-contract-authority.md

Design Commitments

• The canonical AST is the ontological form of the language.
• Artifact is the universal root.
• RhoeJSON is the canonical serialized notation.
• Surface syntax is authoritative only through valid lowering into the canonical AST.
• Target emissions are never semantic authorities.