Definition:Formal Language

Definition
A formal language is a structure $\LL$ which comprises:


 * A set of symbols $\AA$ called the alphabet of $\LL$
 * A collation system with the unique readability property for $\AA$
 * A formal grammar that determines which collations belong to the formal language and which do not.

Often, the collation system is left implicit, and taken simply to match the formal grammar.

Also defined as
Some sources state that:
 * the alphabet $\AA$ must be a finite set for $\LL$ to be classified as a formal language
 * the formal language can consist of any arbitrary set of strings from $\AA$.