Grammars with valuations — a discrete model for self-organization of biopolymers

AbstractWe define a new type of formal grammars where the derivation process is regulated by a certain function which evaluates the words. These grammars can be regarded as a model for the molecular replication process with selective character. We locate the associated family of languages in the Chomsky hierarchy, prove some closure properties, and solve some decision problems which are of interest in formal language theory and in biophysics