A Nonrecursive Method of Syntax Specification The use of the Kleene regular expression notation for describing algebraic language syntax, in particular of ALGOL, is described in this paper. A FORTRAN II computer program for carrying out the elimination algorithm of Gorn,similar to Gaussian elimination for linear systems of algebraic equations, is described. This was applied to numerous smaller languages, including some sublanguage of ALGOL. A hand calculation result of the application of the algorithm to all of ALGOL is given, thus expressing the Revised ALGOL 1960 syntax in completely nonrecursive terms, as far as its context-free portion is concerned. This description in many ways is far more intuitively understood than the previous recursive description, it is suggested. The paper also includes results of the machine program, which does not include a simplification algorithm. CACM April, 1966 Carr III, J. W. Weiland, J. CA660402 JB March 3, 1978 11:02 AM 1086 4 1453 1132 4 1453 1234 4 1453 1263 4 1453 1263 4 1453 1265 4 1453 1270 4 1453 1323 4 1453 1358 4 1453 1379 4 1453 1380 4 1453 1453 4 1453 1453 4 1453 1464 4 1453 1484 4 1453 1491 4 1453 1498 4 1453 1613 4 1453 1614 4 1453 1781 4 1453 1825 4 1453 1860 4 1453 1945 4 1453 2083 4 1453 2178 4 1453 2179 4 1453 2252 4 1453 2325 4 1453 2341 4 1453 2546 4 1453 2645 4 1453 2652 4 1453 2684 4 1453 2842 4 1453 2929 4 1453 2934 4 1453 3069 4 1453 669 4 1453 679 4 1453 691 4 1453 761 4 1453 949 4 1453 989 4 1453 989 5 1453 1453 5 1453 1453 5 1453 1453 5 1453 1613 5 1453 3184 5 1453 987 6 1453 1086 6 1453 1134 6 1453 1453 6 1453 3184 6 1453