Context-free complexity of finite languages.(English)Zbl 0536.68065

Necessary conditions are given for an infinite language to have a sublinear complexity. To achieve the main result, characterizations for the number of productions of finite languages are derived. The main result: Let L be an infinite language over $$\Sigma$$ with sublinear complexity. Then for all k there is an n(k) and there are words $$x_ i$$, $$y_ i$$, $$z_ i$$, $$i=1,...,k,$$ such that for all $$n>n(k)$$ one of the following two cases holds: $(1)\quad(x_ i,z_ i)\neq(x_ j,z_ j),\quad y_ i\neq y_ j\quad for\quad i\neq j\quad and\quad \cup^{k}_{i=1}x_ i\{y_ 1,...,y_ k\}z_ i\subseteq L_ n,$
$(2)\quad x_ i\neq y_ i\quad for\quad i=1,...,k\quad and\quad \{x_ 1,y_ 1\}...\{x_ k,y_ k\}\subseteq L_ n.$

MSC:

 68Q45 Formal languages and automata 68Q25 Analysis of algorithms and problem complexity
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References:

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