A structured approach to language design

This report is an attempt at systematizing a set of ground rules for high-level language design. It recommends the use of a hierarchical semantic model schema. HGL, in a step by step, top-down approach imposing more and more structure on the language components as the design becomes solidified. The approach is demonstrated by showing the stepwise design of the high-level language, GRAAL. The method recommended is divided into three major phases. The first is an informal one. The second is encoding the language components into a very high-level model. This high-level design allows a redesign of language components before they have been specified at too detailed a level. The third phase is to design the compiler in HGL using the final language design.