Symbolic Reed–Solomon (SRS): A Meaning Preserving Error Correction Architecture for Symbolic Systems

The Symbolic Reed–Solomon (SRS) architecture introduces a non‑digital, meaning‑preserving error‑correction mechanism designed for systems that operate on symbols with interiority rather than on numerical data. Unlike classical Reed–Solomon codes, which rely on algebraic operations over finite fields, SRS functions within a semantic gradient: a structured space in which symbols possess intrinsic orientation, relational tension, and recoverable meaning. Error detection and correction emerge not from mathematical redundancy but from the stability of symbolic intention across perturbations. This paper formalizes SRS as an ontologically grounded mechanism that preserves semantic coherence in symbolic communication architectures, including symbolic devices, translators, and universal communication systems. By demonstrating how meaning can be preserved, reconstructed, and stabilized without digital encoding, SRS establishes a new class of error‑correction frameworks suitable for post‑digital communication, cognitive architectures, and systems where information is fundamentally symbolic rather than computational. The result is a unified, meaning‑centric alternative to digital error correction, expanding the theoretical and practical foundations of symbolic communication.