Splicing systems and the Chomsky hierarchy

In this paper, we prove decidability properties and new results on the position of the family of languages generated by (circular) splicing systems within the Chomsky hierarchy. The two main results of the paper are the following. First, we show that it is decidable, given a circular splicing language and a regular language, whether they are equal. Second, we prove the language generated by an alphabetic splicing system is context-free. Alphabetic splicing systems are a generalization of simple and semi-simple splicin systems already considered in the literature

Languages, machines, and classical computation

3rd ed, 2021. A circumscription of the classical theory of computation building up from the Chomsky hierarchy. With the usual topics in formal language and automata theory

Calibrating Generative Models: The Probabilistic Chomsky-Schützenberger Hierarchy

A probabilistic Chomsky–Schützenberger hierarchy of grammars is introduced and studied, with the aim of understanding the expressive power of generative models. We offer characterizations of the distributions definable at each level of the hierarchy, including probabilistic regular, context-free, (linear) indexed, context-sensitive, and unrestricted grammars, each corresponding to familiar probabilistic machine classes. Special attention is given to distributions on (unary notations for) positive integers. Unlike in the classical case where the "semi-linear" languages all collapse into the regular languages, using analytic tools adapted from the classical setting we show there is no collapse in the probabilistic hierarchy: more distributions become definable at each level. We also address related issues such as closure under probabilistic conditioning

Sets of integers in different number systems and the Chomsky hierarchy

The classes of the Chomsky hierarchy are characterized in respect of converting between canonical number systems. We show that the relations of the bases of the original and converted number systems fall into four distinct categories, and we examine the four Chomsky classes in each of the four cases. We also prove that all of the Chomsky classes are closed under constant addition and multiplication. The classes RE and CS are closed under every examined operation. The regular languages axe closed under addition, but not under multiplication

Turchin's Relation for Call-by-Name Computations: A Formal Approach

Supercompilation is a program transformation technique that was first described by V. F. Turchin in the 1970s. In supercompilation, Turchin's relation as a similarity relation on call-stack configurations is used both for call-by-value and call-by-name semantics to terminate unfolding of the program being transformed. In this paper, we give a formal grammar model of call-by-name stack behaviour. We classify the model in terms of the Chomsky hierarchy and then formally prove that Turchin's relation can terminate all computations generated by the model.Comment: In Proceedings VPT 2016, arXiv:1607.0183

Phrase structure grammars as indicative of uniquely human thoughts

I argue that the ability to compute phrase structure grammars is indicative of a particular kind of thought. This type of thought that is only available to cognitive systems that have access to the computations that allow the generation and interpretation of the structural descriptions of phrase structure grammars. The study of phrase structure grammars, and formal language theory in general, is thus indispensable to studies of human cognition, for it makes explicit both the unique type of human thought and the underlying mechanisms in virtue of which this thought is made possible