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7-Parsing and Ambiguity-16-09-2024

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34 views10 pages

7-Parsing and Ambiguity-16-09-2024

gd

Uploaded by

Sachien Nandagopal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Parsing and Ambiguity

Membership problem. Given a string x in T* and X, where X can be a G = (V,


x L(X)
T, P, S), or a automata M, determine whether

Given a string x in T* and CFG G = (V, T, P, S),


determine whether x  L(G) and if x  L(G),
find a derivation S * x.

This problem is called Parsing.

To solve the parsing problem, we first study


the parse tree.
Parse Tree (Derivation tree)
A parse tree (or derivation tree) of a derivation is a tree in
which:

• S – the start symbol of G, is the root


• Each internal node is labeled with a variable (non-ter.)
• Each leaf is labeled with a terminal symbol or lambda
• If a rule A  A1A2…An occurs in the derivation then
A is a parent node whose child nodes are labeled
A1, A2, …, An in order.
• A parse tree is a top-down representation of a derivation
• Good way to visualize the derivation process
•Yield of the parse tree is concatenating all leaf
symbols from left to right in order.
Consider the rules P = {S → aSb | bSa | SS |  }.

(mixed order) One (LEFT) Anotherway (RIGHT) Anotherway


way to generate to generate abb is: to generate abb is:
abab is : S  SS  aSbS  S  SS  SaSb 
S  SS  aSbS abS  abaSb  Sab  aSbab 
 aSbaSb  abab abab
abaSb  abab S  aSb  abSab  abab
S
S

S S
a S b

a S b a S b
b S a

 Lesson learnt: Order is immaterial



for parse tree. For the same word, 
there may exist more than one
parse tree.
Derivation Trees
S A|AB
Other derivation
A |a|Ab|AA w = aabb
B b|bc|Bc|bB
trees for this string?

S
S S
A
A B A B
A A Many others
A A b B A A b possible.
A A A b
a a b a A b
a  A b
a
a
Ambiguous context-free grammars
• A context-free grammar is said to be AMBIGUOUS if there exists a
string w є L(G) that has at least two distinct derivation trees or at
least two rightmost/ leftmost derivations for the same string w.
• Else, the grammar is unambiguous.

Check the ambiguity of the following grammar.


G = ({S}, {a, b, c}, P, S) where P = {S → SbS | ScS | a}
Consider the string abaca. It has two parse trees.
S S
S b S S c S

a S c S S b S a

a a a a
Sample Parse Tree
• Sample parse tree for the palindrome CFG for
1110111:
P
P   | 0 | 1 | 0P0 | 1P1
1 P 1
This grammar is not ambiguous
1 P 1

HOMEWORK:
1 P 1
Check the ambiguity of the CFG
G = ({S, A}, {0,1}, P, S) where
P = {S → A00, A →  | AA | 0 | 1} 0
Show that the following grammars
are ambiguous

1.S -> SS | a | b
2.S -> ABA;
A -> aA | e; B -> bB | e
3. S -> aSb | aaSb | e
4. S -> aSb | abS | e
5. S → A00, A →  | AA | 0 | 1
Unambiguous context-free grammars
• A context-free grammar is said to be UNAMBIGUOUS if for
every string w є L(G), there exists a unique derivation tree
(upto isomorphism).

Unambiguous context-free language


• A context-free language L is said to be UNAMBIGUOUS if
there exists an unambiguous grammar G such that L= L(G).

Ambiguous context-free language


• A context-free language L is said to be INHERENTLY
AMBIGUOUS if every grammar that generates L is
ambiguous (you cannot find an unambiguous grammar for L).
BAD NEWS
• Consider the grammar G = ({S}, {a,b}, P, S)
where P = {S → SbS | a}.
• Is it ambiguous? Check for the string abababa
• Is the Language inherently ambiguous?
• NO!!!!! Why?????
• {S → abS | a} is an unambiguous grammar for
the language.
• The problem of deciding whether a given CFG G
is ambiguous or not, is undecidable (might be
covered in the last classes of my lecture).
Example of an Inherently Ambiguous CFL
• There exist CFLs that are inherently ambiguous, i.e.
every grammar for them is ambiguous
• L = {anbncm |n≥1,m≥1} U {anbmcm |n≥1, m≥1}

• G = ({S, S1, S2, A, C}, {a, b, c}, P, S) where P is

• S → S1 | S 2
• S1 → aS1b | C
• C → cC | c
• S2 → A | bS2c Ambiguous for the string abc

• A → aA | a

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