It's not quite just syntax, though--it's severely restricted syntax. If you want a fast parser, the rules need to be stated in a way that allows the parser rule processor to transform them into a single big glob 'o program. (Generally a state machine, but that's not strictly necessary) The more degrees of freedom you allow in rule specification, the slower and more difficult the parser is to write.

The problem with top-down parsing is that it's slow. The more states and rules, the slower it is. Perl's grammar would take ages to process by a top-down parser.

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