Formal specification of software systems using two-level grammar

Author

Bryant, B.R.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Comput. & Inf. Sci., Alabama Univ., Birmingham, AL

fYear

1991

fDate

11-13 Sep 1991

Firstpage

155

Lastpage

160

Abstract

Two-level grammar (TLG) is proposed for the formal specification and automatic generation of software systems. TLG specifications are unique in that they are a structured form of natural language which is executable. This has the potential for greatly increasing the reliability of the developed software system for the following reasons. Because it is a form of natural language, TLG may be used as an effective communication medium between the system users, designers, and implementors, thereby reducing the likelihood of errors caused by miscommunication. Furthermore, an efficient software system, expressed in C, can be automatically generated from the specification in a provably correct way. Successful applications have included database/knowledge-base systems and programming language compilers

Keywords

formal specification; grammars; natural languages; software reliability; automatic generation; formal specification; natural language; reliability; software systems; two-level grammar; Automatic programming; Error correction; Formal specifications; Internet; Logic programming; Natural languages; Postal services; Software systems; Specification languages; Writing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Computer Software and Applications Conference, 1991. COMPSAC '91., Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual International

Conference_Location

Tokyo

Print_ISBN

0-8186-2152-4

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/CMPSAC.1991.170167

Filename

170167