Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!feeder01.blueworldhosting.com!border2.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news.iecc.com!.POSTED!nerds-end From: "Gerry Rzeppa" Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Re: A Plain English Compiler Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 14:53:57 -0500 Organization: Compilers Central Lines: 27 Sender: news@iecc.com Approved: comp.compilers@iecc.com Message-ID: <14-10-018@comp.compilers> References: <14-10-005@comp.compilers> <06-02-122@comp.compilers> <06-02-125@comp.compilers> <14-10-006@comp.compilers> NNTP-Posting-Host: news.iecc.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: miucha.iecc.com 1414703094 92124 2001:470:1f07:1126:0:676f:7373:6970 (30 Oct 2014 21:04:54 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@iecc.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 21:04:54 +0000 (UTC) Keywords: practice Posted-Date: 30 Oct 2014 17:04:54 EDT X-submission-address: compilers@iecc.com X-moderator-address: compilers-request@iecc.com X-FAQ-and-archives: http://compilers.iecc.com Xref: csiph.com comp.compilers:1403 lesliedellow says, I wonder if the OP has a clue how compilers work? Reply: We obviously know how compilers work having written a reliable, efficient, and fully functioning one -- for Plain English, coded entirely in Plain English. lesliedellow says, If he has, he might want to try his hand at writing a BNF grammar for English. Reply: English is a natural language and, as such, cannot be entirely reduced to a BNF; it must be compiled via a combination of heuristic techniques. Our particular approach takes three swipes at the source code using a mixture of recursive-descent parsing and a small collection of ad hoc super- and sub-parsers. (Write me directly for a copy of the EBNF we use for the recursive-descent part; it's less than 100 lines.) Note also that our compiler is designed in such a way that the bulk of the vocabulary and grammar -- nouns, verbs, adjectives, modes of expression, etc -- are not hard-coded in the compiler, but are are automatically deduced when the programmer, in his own source code, defines new types, variables, and routines; the compiler focuses on that tiny and well-defined portion of English that serves as glue for the rest: articles, prepositions, and conjunctions. See here for our next proposed steps and links to the current documentation, source code, and executable prototype: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-hybrid-programming-language/x/8950932