A Language Implementation System

Abstract

The paper presents the design and implementation of a Language Implementation System (LIS) and investigates the use of that system in the development of artificial languages and their associated processors. The language Implementation System accepts the formal definition of the syntax and semantics of an artificial language, and synthesizes a processor for that language. The parsers (lexical and primary) of the processor are highly efficient Deterministic Push Down Automata (DPDAs) computed from the language's CLR(k) grammar. The CLR(k) (Comprehensive Left to Right, looking ahead k symbpls) grammars are defined in the paper, and are shown to include virtually all 'practical' artificial languages. Applications of the Language Implementation System are presented, and the system is shown to be applicable not only to 'traditional' artificial languages such as PL/I, Algol, and Lisp, but also to interactive management information/decision system languages.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1974
Accession Number
AD0780672

Entities

People

  • Vernon E. Altman

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Automata
  • Automata Theory
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Design Criteria
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Engineering
  • Grammars
  • Information Processing
  • Information Systems
  • Language
  • Linguistics
  • Personality
  • Programming Languages
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Computational Linguistics