The Syntax CRYstal Parser (SCRYP) is a computer program that uses syntax crystal rules to parse sentences of a natural language. The procedures developed for the parser constitute a set of heuristics for the bottom-up, as opposed to topdown, analysis of sentence structure. We believe such procedures reflect some processes that take place in human language comprehension. This appendix will outline some advantages the parser has over other procedures as well as presenting a description of the program itself. An important consideration is the applicability of SCRYP to descriptions of human language performance. For this reason, we emphasize parsimony of description and the applicability of structural and procedural assumptions to human language performance.

Local rules and global procedures

Parsers for descriptive and interpretive grammars

The problem of constructing a parser to derive syntactic descriptions of sentences on the basis of word order and inflections is largely the problem of selecting and implementing appropriate global procedures to coordinate the operations of local rules (see Chapters 1 and 4). Various types of local rules may be used in global procedures. The rules specify the elements of syntactic form, the procedures and their application.