Parser combinators are an approach to writing parsers that originates in the functional programming community.

I'll describe a parser combinator library written in Newspeak, a new language descended from Smalltalk.

Parsers written using this library are remarkably similar to BNF; they are almost entirely free of solution-space (i.e., programming language) artifacts.

The system allows the grammar to be specified as a separate class or mixin, independent of tools that rely upon it such as parsers, syntax colorizers etc.

Thus, our grammars serve as a shared executable specification for a variety of language processing tools. This motivates our use of the term "executable grammar". Time permitting, I will also discuss the role of specific language features in enabling these pleasing results.