A derivation step in a Graph Interpolation Grammar has the effect of scanning
an input token. This feature, which aims at emulating the incrementality of the
natural parser, restricts the formal power of GIGs. This contrasts with the
fact that the derivation mechanism involves a context-sensitive device similar
to tree adjunction in TAGs. The combined effect of input-driven derivation and
restricted context-sensitiveness would be conceivably unfortunate if it turned
out that Graph Interpolation Languages did not subsume Context Free Languages
while being partially context-sensitive. This report sets about examining
relations between CFGs and GIGs, and shows that GILs are a proper superclass of
CFLs. It also brings out a strong equivalence between CFGs and GIGs for the
class of CFLs. Thus, it lays the basis for meaningfully investigating the
amount of context-sensitiveness supported by GIGs, but leaves this
investigation for further research
