Parallel Parsing of Context-Free Languages on an Array of Processors

Abstract

Kosaraju [Kosaraju 69] and independently ten years later, Guibas, Kung and Thompson [Guibas 79] devised an algorithm (K-GKT) for solving on an array of processors a class of dynamic programming problems of which general context-free language (CFL) recognition is a member. I introduce an extension to K-GKT which allows parsing as well as recognition. The basic idea of the extension is to add counters to the processors. These act as pointers to other processors. The extended algorithm consists of three phases which I call the recognition phase, the marking phase and the parse output phase. I first consider the case of unambiguous grammars. I show that in that case, the algorithm has O(n2log n) space complexity and a linear time complexity. To obtain these results I rely on a counter implementation that allows the execution in constant time of each of the operations: set to zero, test if zero, increment by 1 and decrement by 1. I provide a proof of correctness of this implementation. I introduce the concept of efficient grammars. One factor in the multiplicative constant hidden behind the O(n2log n) space complexity measure for the algorithm is related to the number of non-terminals in the (unambiguous) grammar used. I say that a grammar is k-efficient if it allows the processors to store not more than k pointer pairs. I call a 1-efficient grammar an efficient grammar. I show that two properties that I call nt-disjunction and rhsdasjunction together with unambiguity are sufficient but not necessary conditions for grammar efficiency. I also show that unambiguity itself is not a necessary condition for efficiency. I then consider the case of ambiguous grammars. I present two methods for outputting multiple parses. Both output each parse in linear time. One method has O(n3log n) space complexity while the other has O(n2log n) space complexity. I then address the issue of problem decomposition. I show how part of my extension can be adapted, using a standard technique, to process inputs that would be too large for an array of some fixed size. I then discuss briefly some issues related to implementation. I report on an actual implementation on the I.C.L. DAP. Finally, I show how another systolic CFL parsing algorithm, by Chang, Ibarra and Palis [Chang 87], can be generalized to output parses in preorder and inorder.