A notation for expressing the context-free grammar of a formal language, describing a language's syntax as a set of production rules; widely used to specify the grammars of programming languages and data formats.
Facts
Core PrincipleA notation system for defining the syntax of programming languages and other formal languages, developed by John Backus and Peter Naur. 1 FAQs
Who developed Backus-Naur Form and what is it used for?
Developed by John Backus and Peter Naur to define language syntax.
John Backus and Peter Naur developed Backus-Naur Form. It is a notation system for defining the syntax of programming languages and other formal languages. Backus, a programming language designer at IBM, proposed a metalanguage of metalinguistic formulas to define the syntax of a new programming language, and the notation dates from 1959.
Connections
In Field
Invented By
John Backus devised the notation to describe ALGOL 60's grammar at the 1959 ACM conference.
Peter Naur refined and popularized the notation as editor of the ALGOL 60 report, giving it the form later called Backus-Naur Form.
Sources
1. Backus-Naur form, Wikipedia
Article text, sentence beginning 'BNF itself emerged'
BNF itself emerged when John Backus, a programming language designer at IBM, proposed a metalanguage of metalinguistic formulas to define the syntax of the new programming language IAL, known today as ALGOL 58, in 1959.
Lead section, first sentence
is a notation system for defining the syntax of programming languages and other formal languages, developed by John Backus and Peter Naur.
In Group: Mathematical and Formal Notations, Lead
In computer science, Backus-Naur form or Pāṇini-Backus Form (BNF or PBF, pronounced ), also known as Backus normal form, is a notation system for defining the syntax of programming languages and other formal languages, developed by John Backus and Peter Naur.
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