Abstract

This report is the second in a two part series in which we consider a parsing technique which we call generalised recursive descent (GRD). In the first report [JS97] there is an extensive discussion of the influence of parsing techniques on language design, a full description of the GRD parsing technique, and a description of a tool, GRDP, which generates GRD parsers for suitable grammars. There are essentially two classes of GRD parsers: the full prototyping versions which are admitted by any non-left recursive grammar, and the more efficient production versions which are only guaranteed to be admitted (see below) by non-left recursive follow-determined grammars. In this report we shall consider theoretical aspects of follow-determined grammars and the languages which can be specified with them.

Citations