PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN OLD VERSION. The current version is linked from The Complete Lojban Language.
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2. EBNF Grammar of Lojban

Lojban Machine Grammar, EBNF Version, 3rd Baseline as of 10 January 1997

This document is explicitly dedicated to the public domain by its author, the Logical Language Group Inc. Contact that organization at: 2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031 USA 703-385-0273 (intl: +1 703 385 0273)

Explanation of notation: All rules have the form:

namenumber = bnf-expression


which means that the grammatical construct ``name'' is defined by ``bnf-expression''. The number cross-references this grammar with the rule numbers in the YACC grammar. The names are the same as those in the YACC grammar, except that subrules are labeled with A, B, C, ... in the YACC grammar and with 1, 2, 3, ... in this grammar. In addition, rule 971 is ``simple_tag'' in the YACC grammar but ``stag'' in this grammar, because of its frequent appearance.
  1. Names in lower case are grammatical constructs.
  2. Names in UPPER CASE are selma'o (lexeme) names, and are terminals.
  3. Concatenation is expressed by juxtaposition with no operator symbol.
  4. | represents alternation (choice).
  5. [] represents an optional element.
  6. & represents and/or (``A & B'' is the same as ``A | B | A B'').
  7. ... represents optional repetition of the construct to the left. Left-grouping is implied; right-grouping is shown by explicit self-referential recursion with no ``...''
  8. () serves to indicate the grouping of the other operators. Otherwise, ``...'' binds closer than &, which binds closer than |.
  9. # is shorthand for ``[free ...]'', a construct which appears in many places.
  10. // encloses an elidable terminator, which may be omitted (without change of meaning) if no grammatical ambiguity results.
text0 =
[NAI ...] [CMENE ... # | (indicators & free ...)] [joik-jek] text-1
text-12 =
[(I [jek | joik] [[stag] BO] #) ... | NIhO ... #] [paragraphs]
paragraphs4 =
paragraph [NIhO ... # paragraphs]
paragraph10 =
(statement | fragment) [I # [statement | fragment]] ...
statement11 =
statement-1
| prenex statement
statement-112 =
statement-2 [I joik-jek [statement-2]] ...
statement-213 =
statement-3 [I [jek | joik] [stag] BO # [statement-2]]
statement-314 =
sentence
| [tag] TUhE # text-1 /TUhU#/
fragment20 =
ek #
| gihek #
| quantifier
| NA #
| terms /VAU#/
| prenex
| relative-clauses
| links
| linkargs
prenex30 =
terms ZOhU #
sentence40 =
[terms [CU #]] bridi-tail
subsentence41 =
sentence
| prenex subsentence
bridi-tail50 =
bridi-tail-1 [gihek [stag] KE # bridi-tail /KEhE#/ tail-terms]
bridi-tail-151 =
bridi-tail-2 [gihek # bridi-tail-2 tail-terms] ...
bridi-tail-252 =
bridi-tail-3 [gihek [stag] BO # bridi-tail-2 tail-terms]
bridi-tail-353 =
selbri tail-terms
| gek-sentence
gek-sentence54 =
gek subsentence gik subsentence tail-terms
| [tag] KE # gek-sentence /KEhE#/
| NA # gek-sentence
tail-terms71 =
[terms] /VAU#/
terms80 =
terms-1 ...
terms-181 =
terms-2 [PEhE # joik-jek terms-2] ...
terms-282 =
term [CEhE # term] ...
term83 =
sumti | (tag | FA #) (sumti
| /KU#/)
| termset
| NA KU #
termset85 =
NUhI # gek terms /NUhU#/ gik terms /NUhU#/
| NUhI # terms /NUhU#/
sumti90 =
sumti-1 [VUhO # relative-clauses]
sumti-191 =
sumti-2 [(ek | joik) [stag] KE # sumti /KEhE#/]
sumti-292 =
sumti-3 [joik-ek sumti-3] ...
sumti-393 =
sumti-4 [(ek
| joik) [stag] BO # sumti-3]
sumti-494 =
sumti-5
| gek sumti gik sumti-4
sumti-595 =
[quantifier] sumti-6 [relative-clauses]
| quantifier selbri /KU#/ [relative-clauses]
sumti-697 =
(LAhE # | NAhE BO #) [relative-clauses] sumti /LUhU#/
| KOhA #
| lerfu-string /BOI#/
| LA # [relative-clauses] CMENE ... #
| (LA | LE) # sumti-tail /KU#/
| LI # mex /LOhO#/
| ZO any-word #
| LU text /LIhU#/
| LOhU any-word ... LEhU #
| ZOI any-word anything any-word #
sumti-tail111 =
[sumti-6 [relative-clauses]] sumti-tail-1
| relative-clauses sumti-tail-1
sumti-tail-1112 =
[quantifier] selbri [relative-clauses]
| quantifier sumti
relative-clauses121 =
relative-clause [ZIhE # relative-clause] ...
relative-clause122 =
GOI # term /GEhU#/
| NOI # subsentence /KUhO#/
selbri130 =
[tag] selbri-1
selbri-1131 =
selbri-2
| NA # selbri
selbri-2132 =
selbri-3 [CO # selbri-2]
selbri-3133 =
selbri-4 ...
selbri-4134 =
selbri-5 [joik-jek selbri-5 | joik [stag] KE # selbri-3 /KEhE#/] ...
selbri-5135 =
selbri-6 [(jek | joik) [stag] BO # selbri-5]
selbri-6136 =
tanru-unit [BO # selbri-6]
| [NAhE #] guhek selbri gik selbri-6
tanru-unit150 =
tanru-unit-1 [CEI # tanru-unit-1] ...
tanru-unit-1151 =
tanru-unit-2 [linkargs]
tanru-unit-2152 =
BRIVLA #
| GOhA [RAhO] #
| KE # selbri-3 /KEhE#/
| ME # sumti /MEhU#/ [MOI #] | (number
| lerfu-string) MOI #
| NUhA # mex-operator
| SE # tanru-unit-2
| JAI # [tag] tanru-unit-2
| any-word (ZEI any-word) ...
| NAhE # tanru-unit-2
| NU [NAI] # [joik-jek NU [NAI] #] ... subsentence /KEI#/
linkargs160 =
BE # term [links] /BEhO#/
links161 =
BEI # term [links]
quantifier300 =
number /BOI#/
| VEI # mex /VEhO#/
mex310 =
mex-1 [operator mex-1] ...
| FUhA # rp-expression
mex-1311 =
mex-2 [BIhE # operator mex-1]
mex-2312 =
operand
| [PEhO #] operator mex-2 ... /KUhE#/
rp-expression330 =
rp-operand rp-operand operator
rp-operand332 =
operand
| rp-expression
operator370 =
operator-1 [joik-jek operator-1 | joik [stag] KE # operator /KEhE#/] ...
operator-1371 =
operator-2
| guhek operator-1 gik operator-2
| operator-2 (jek | joik) [stag] BO # operator-1
operator-2372 =
mex-operator
| KE # operator /KEhE#/
mex-operator374 =
SE # mex-operator
| NAhE # mex-operator
| MAhO # mex /TEhU#/
| NAhU # selbri /TEhU#/
| VUhU #
operand381 =
operand-1 [(ek | joik) [stag] KE # operand /KEhE#/]
operand-1382 =
operand-2 [joik-ek operand-2] ...
operand-2383 =
operand-3 [(ek | joik) [stag] BO # operand-2]
operand-3385 =
quantifier
| lerfu-string /BOI#/
| NIhE # selbri /TEhU#/
| MOhE # sumti /TEhU#/
| JOhI # mex-2 ... /TEhU#/
| gek operand gik operand-3
| (LAhE # | NAhE BO #) operand /LUhU#/
number812 =
PA [PA | lerfu-word] ...
lerfu-string817 =
lerfu-word [PA | lerfu-word] ...
lerfu-word987 =
BY
| any-word BU
| LAU lerfu-word
| TEI lerfu-string FOI
ek802 =
[NA] [SE] A [NAI]
gihek818 =
[NA] [SE] GIhA [NAI]
jek805 =
[NA] [SE] JA [NAI]
joik806 =
[SE] JOI [NAI]
| interval
| GAhO interval GAhO
interval932 =
[SE] BIhI [NAI]
joik-ek421 =
joik #
| ek #
joik-jek422 =
joik #
| jek #
gek807 =
[SE] GA [NAI] #
| joik GI #
| stag gik
guhek808 =
[SE] GUhA [NAI] #
gik816 =
GI [NAI] #
tag491 =
tense-modal [joik-jek tense-modal] ...
stag971 =
simple-tense-modal [(jek | joik) simple-tense-modal] ...
tense-modal815 =
simple-tense-modal #
| FIhO # selbri /FEhU#/
simple-tense-modal972 =
[NAhE] [SE] BAI [NAI] [KI]
| [NAhE] (time [space]
| space [time]) & CAhA [KI]
| KI
| CUhE
time1030 =
ZI & time-offset ... & ZEhA [PU [NAI]] & interval-property ...
time-offset1033 =
PU [NAI] [ZI]
space1040 =
VA & space-offset ... & space-interval & (MOhI space-offset)
space-offset1045 =
FAhA [NAI] [VA]
space-interval1046 =
((VEhA & VIhA) [FAhA [NAI]]) & space-int-props
space-int-props1049 =
(FEhE interval-property) ...
interval-property1051 =
number ROI [NAI]
| TAhE [NAI]
| ZAhO [NAI]
free32 =
SEI # [terms [CU #]] selbri /SEhU/
| SOI # sumti [sumti] /SEhU/
| vocative [relative-clauses] selbri [relative-clauses] /DOhU/
| vocative [relative-clauses] CMENE ... # [relative-clauses] /DOhU/
| vocative [sumti] /DOhU/
| (number | lerfu-string) MAI
| TO text /TOI/
| XI # (number | lerfu-string) /BOI/
| XI # VEI # mex /VEhO/
vocative415 =
(COI [NAI]) ... & DOI
indicators411 =
[FUhE] indicator ...
indicator413 =
(UI | CAI) [NAI]
| Y
| DAhO
| FUhO

The following rules are non-formal:

word1100 =
[BAhE] any-word [indicators]
any-word =
``any single word (no compound cmavo)''
anything =
``any text at all, whether Lojban or not''
null1101 =
any-word SI
| utterance SA
| text SU
FAhO is a universal terminator and signals the end of parsable input.
Previous
YACC Grammar of Lojban 		Formal Grammars
The Lojban Reference Grammar 		Next
EBNF Cross-Reference