Left-recursive grammar is a type of context-free grammar where one or more productions have a non-terminal symbol that can be rewritten as itself, potentially causing infinite recursion in top-down parsers. This issue is typically resolved by transforming the grammar to eliminate left recursion, enabling efficient parsing by algorithms like LL parsers.

Left-recursive Grammar

Left-recursive grammar

Context-Free Grammar (CFG) is a formal system used to define the syntax of programming languages and natural languages, characterized by production rules that replace a single non-terminal symbol with a string of non-terminal and terminal symbols. CFGs are powerful enough to describe many language constructs while allowing efficient parsing algorithms, making them essential in compiler design and language processing.

context-free grammar

A non-terminal symbol is a type of symbol used in formal grammars, particularly in context-free grammars, to represent a set of possible strings that can be generated by the grammar. It acts as an intermediate step in the derivation process, eventually leading to terminal symbols that form the actual strings of the language.

non-terminal symbol

infinite recursion

top-down parsers

Grammar transformation refers to the process of converting one form of grammatical representation into another, often to simplify parsing, improve computational efficiency, or facilitate language translation. It is a critical technique in compiler design, natural language processing, and formal language theory, enabling the manipulation and analysis of syntactic structures.

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