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Left-associative grammar: The algebraic definitions

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Computers and translation

Abstract

This paper presents a formal account of the grammar system described informally in the previous issue of CaT. LA-grammar is proven to generate all and only the recursive languages. The classes of regular, context-free, and context-sensitive languages are reconstructed in LA-grammar. The relation between LA-grammar and associated parsers and generators is shown to be ‘type transparent’, and illustrated with examples. Finally, differences between LA-grammar and Finite State Automata, RTNs, ATNs, and Predictive Analyzers are explained.

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Hausser, R. Left-associative grammar: The algebraic definitions. Mach Translat 3, 121–155 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02055235

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