Keep in mind today:
“ In computer science, BNF (Backus Normal Form or Backus–Naur Form) is one of the two [1] main notation techniques for context-free grammars, often used to describe the syntax of languages used in computing, such as computer programming languages, document formats, instruction sets and communication protocol; the other main technique for writing context-free grammars is the van Wijngaarden form. They are applied wherever exact descriptions of languages are needed: for instance, in official language specifications, in manuals, and in textbooks on programming language theory.
Many extensions and variants of the original Backus–Naur notation are used; some are exactly defined, including Extended Backus–Naur Form (EBNF) and Augmented Backus–Naur Form (ABNF).
A BNF specification is a set of derivation rules, written as
<symbol> ::= __expression__where <symbol> is a nonterminal, and the __expression__ consists of one or more sequences of symbols; more sequences are separated by the vertical bar, '|', indicating a choice, the whole being a possible substitution for the symbol on the left. Symbols that never appear on a left side are terminals. On the other hand, symbols that appear on a left side are non-terminals and are always enclosed between the pair <>.
The ‚::=‘ means that the symbol on the left must be replaced with the expression on the right“
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backus%E2%80%93Naur_Form