The Chomsky-Schützenberger theorem for quantitative context-free languages

Abstract

Weighted automata model quantitative aspects of systems like the consumption of resources during executions. Traditionally, the weights are assumed to form the algebraic structure of a semiring, but recently also other weight computations like average have been considered. Here, we investigate quantitative context-free languages over very general weight structures incorporating all semirings, average computations, lattices. In our main result, we derive the Chomsky-Schützenberger Theorem for such quantitative context-free languages, showing that each arises as the image of the intersection of a Dyck language and a recognizable language under a suitable morphism. Moreover, we show that quantitative context-free languages are expressively equivalent to a model of weighted pushdown automata. This generalizes results previously known only for semirings. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.