The shifting lemma and shifting lattice identities (Q2496157)

\textit{H.\,P.\,Gumm} [Geometrical methods in congruence modular algebras. Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 286 (1983; Zbl 0547.08006)] has shown that every congruence modular algebra satisfies the so-called Shifting Lemma, playing a crucial role in developing modular commutator theory. Later, some analogous diagrammatical schemes, including the Triangular Scheme or the Trapezoid Lemma have been introduced to characterize congruence distributivity. The paper deals with the purely lattice-theoretical underlying reason for the validity of these lemmas. The authors introduce a special Horn sentence, the shift of a lattice identity. To any lattice identity \(\lambda \) and to any variable \(y\) occurring in \(\lambda \) they define a Horn sentence \(S(\lambda ,y)\). When \(S(\lambda ,y)\) happens to be equivalent to \(\lambda \), they call it a shift of \(\lambda \). When \(\lambda \) has a shift then it gives rise to diagrammatical statements resembling the Shifting Lemma and the Triangular Scheme. Some known lattice identities are shown to have a shift while some others have no shift.