Why do air foils produce lift?

[rcgldr]

Take the case of a flat plate moving through a super fluid. Why would there be any more of a tendency for the fluid to flow around the plate, as opposed to some portion of the fluid simply moving along with the plate?

On the contrary, why would it move with the plate?

Since there's no viscosity, there's no "friction" or interaction with the surrounding fluid to prevent some volume of fluid from simply traveling along with the plate, potentially creating relatively large "stagnation" zones in front of and behind the plate.

Say there's a frictionless hollow cylinder with a cross sectional flat plate in the middle of the cylinder, and that the cylinder is moving within a super fluid. I'm assuming that within the cylinder, there's a 1/2 cylinder of fluid fore and aft of the plate. Now stop frictionless cylinder, but allow the place to continue onwards at the same initial velocity. The only effects on the fluid before and after the plate is related to momentum, not viscosity. Over time would these "stagnations" zones eventually vanish?

 

[Aero51]

The shape of the airfoil changes the molecular velocity distribution such that a mean pressure gradient is produced generating lift

 

[A.T.]

Over time would these "stagnations" zones eventually vanish?

No, there are stagnation zones in potential flow. But you have stagnation in front and behind the object, so no pressure difference between front and back and no net force:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_flow_around_a_circular_cylinder

 

[boneh3ad]

I am having trouble picturing what you describe but regardless, what you describe is an unsteady flow and thus not applicable here.

There would not be any sort of buildup of "stagnation zone". There would still be one upstream and one downstream stagnation point (or possibly line in 3 dimensions) and everywhere else the fluid would just slide conservatively over the surface without sticking.