diff --git a/Language/SQL/SimpleSQL/Lex.lhs b/Language/SQL/SimpleSQL/Lex.lhs
index ce40377..9e56878 100644
--- a/Language/SQL/SimpleSQL/Lex.lhs
+++ b/Language/SQL/SimpleSQL/Lex.lhs
@@ -81,6 +81,10 @@ todo: public documentation on dialect definition - and dialect flags
 
 >     -- | This is a host param symbol, e.g. :param
 >     | HostParam String
+
+
+>     -- | This is a positional arg identifier e.g. $1
+>     | PositionalArg Int
 >
 >     -- | This is a string literal. The first two fields are the --
 >     -- start and end quotes, which are usually both ', but can be
@@ -114,6 +118,7 @@ todo: public documentation on dialect definition - and dialect flags
 > prettyToken _ (Identifier Nothing t) = t
 > prettyToken _ (Identifier (Just (q1,q2)) t) = q1 ++ t ++ q2
 > prettyToken _ (HostParam p) = ':':p
+> prettyToken _ (PositionalArg p) = '$':show p
 > prettyToken _ (SqlString s e t) = s ++ t ++ e
 > prettyToken _ (SqlNumber r) = r
 > prettyToken _ (Whitespace t) = t
@@ -166,6 +171,7 @@ this is also tried before symbol (a .1 will be parsed as a number, but
 >                     ,lineComment d
 >                     ,blockComment d
 >                     ,sqlNumber d
+>                     ,positionalArg d
 >                     ,symbol d
 >                     ,sqlWhitespace d]
 
@@ -222,13 +228,23 @@ x'hexidecimal string'
 
 
 > sqlString :: Dialect -> Parser Token
-> sqlString _ =
+> sqlString d =
 >     choice [csString
 >            ,normalString
 >            ]
 >   where
 >     normalString = SqlString "'" "'" <$> (char '\'' *> normalStringSuffix "")
->     normalStringSuffix t = do
+>     normalStringSuffix t
+>       | diSyntaxFlavour d == Postgres = do
+>         s <- takeTill (`elem` "'\\")
+>         -- deal with '' or \' as literal quote character
+>         choice [do
+>                 ctu <- choice ["''" <$ try (string "''")
+>                               ,"\\'" <$ string "\\'"
+>                               ,"\\" <$ char '\\']
+>                 normalStringSuffix $ concat [t,s,ctu]
+>                ,concat [t,s] <$ char '\'']
+>       | otherwise = do
 >         s <- takeTill (=='\'')
 >         void $ char '\''
 >         -- deal with '' as literal quote character
@@ -245,13 +261,27 @@ x'hexidecimal string'
 >     -- error messages and user predictability make it a good
 >     -- pragmatic choice
 >     csString = SqlString <$> try cs <*> return "'" <*> normalStringSuffix ""
->     cs = choice $ (map (\x -> string ([x] ++ "'")) "nNbBxX")
+>     csPrefixes | diSyntaxFlavour d == Postgres = "nNbBxXEe"
+>                | otherwise = "nNbBxX"
+>     cs = choice $ (map (\x -> string ([x] ++ "'")) csPrefixes)
 >                   ++ [string "u&'"
 >                      ,string "U&'"]
 
 > hostParam :: Dialect -> Parser Token
+
+use try for postgres because we also support : and :: as symbols
+There might be a problem with parsing e.g. a[1:b]
+
+> hostParam d | diSyntaxFlavour d == Postgres =
+>     HostParam <$> try (char ':' *> identifierString)
+
 > hostParam _ = HostParam <$> (char ':' *> identifierString)
 
+> positionalArg :: Dialect -> Parser Token
+> positionalArg d | diSyntaxFlavour d == Postgres =
+>   -- use try to avoid ambiguities with other syntax which starts with dollar
+>   PositionalArg <$> try (char '$' *> (read <$> many1 digit))
+> positionalArg _ = guard False *> error "unpossible"
 
 
 digits
@@ -288,6 +318,13 @@ A symbol is one of the two character symbols, or one of the single
 character symbols in the two lists below.
 
 > symbol :: Dialect -> Parser Token
+> symbol d | diSyntaxFlavour d == Postgres =
+>     Symbol <$>
+>     choice (
+>             many1 (char '.') :
+>                 map (try . string) [">=","<=","!=","<>","||", "::", ":="]
+>                 ++ map (string . (:[])) "+-^*/%~&|?<>[]=,;():")
+
 > symbol _ = Symbol <$>
 >     choice (
 >             many1 (char '.') :
diff --git a/tools/Language/SQL/SimpleSQL/LexerTests.lhs b/tools/Language/SQL/SimpleSQL/LexerTests.lhs
index 0946340..663e67b 100644
--- a/tools/Language/SQL/SimpleSQL/LexerTests.lhs
+++ b/tools/Language/SQL/SimpleSQL/LexerTests.lhs
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ Test for the lexer
 
 > lexerTests :: TestItem
 > lexerTests = Group "lexerTests" $
->     [Group "lexer token tests" [ansiLexerTests]]
+>     [Group "lexer token tests" [ansiLexerTests
+>                                ,postgresLexerTests]]
 
 > ansiLexerTable :: [(String,[Token])]
 > ansiLexerTable =
@@ -170,11 +171,11 @@ assurance.
 > postgresLexerTable :: [(String,[Token])]
 > postgresLexerTable =
 >     -- single char symbols
->     map (\s -> ([s],[Symbol [s]])) "+-^*/%~&|?<>[]=,;()"
+>     map (\s -> ([s],[Symbol [s]])) "+-^*/%~&|?<>[]=,;():"
 >     -- multi char symbols
->     ++ map (\s -> (s,[Symbol s])) [">=","<=","!=","<>","||"]
->     -- symbols to add: :, ::, .. :=
->     -- plus generic symbols
+>     ++ map (\s -> (s,[Symbol s])) [">=","<=","!=","<>","||", "::","..",":="]
+>     -- todo: add many examples of generic symbols
+>     -- also: do the testing for the ansi compatibility special cases
 >     ++ (let idens = ["a", "_a", "test", "table", "Stuff", "STUFF"]
 >         -- simple identifiers
 >         in map (\i -> (i, [Identifier Nothing i])) idens
@@ -186,14 +187,19 @@ assurance.
 >            ++ map (\i -> (':':i, [HostParam i])) idens
 >        )
 >     -- positional var
+>     ++ [("$1", [PositionalArg 1])]
 >     -- quoted identifiers with embedded double quotes
->     ++ [("\"normal \"\" iden\"", [Identifier (Just ("\"","\"")) "normal \" iden"])]
+>     ++ [("\"normal \"\" iden\"", [Identifier (Just ("\"","\"")) "normal \"\" iden"])]
 >     -- strings
 >     ++ [("'string'", [SqlString "'" "'" "string"])
 >        ,("'normal '' quote'", [SqlString "'" "'" "normal '' quote"])
->        ,("'normalendquote '''", [SqlString "'" "'" "normalendquote '"])
->        ,("e'this '' quote''", [SqlString "e'" "'" "this '' quote '"])
->        ,("e'this \' quote''", [SqlString "e'" "'" "this \' quote '"])
+>        ,("'normalendquote '''", [SqlString "'" "'" "normalendquote ''"])
+>        ,("e'this '' quote'", [SqlString "e'" "'" "this '' quote"])
+>        ,("e'this \\' quote'", [SqlString "e'" "'" "this \\' quote"])
+>         -- todo: implement only allowing \' in e quoted strings
+>        {-,("'not this \\' quote", [SqlString "'" "'" "not this \\"
+>                                  ,Whitespace " "
+>                                  ,Identifier Nothing "quote"])-}
 >        ]
 >     -- csstrings
 >     ++ map (\c -> (c ++ "'test'", [SqlString (c ++ "'") "'" "test"]))
@@ -218,3 +224,8 @@ assurance.
 >        ["/**/", "/* */","/* this is a comment */"
 >        ,"/* this *is/ a comment */"
 >        ]
+
+> postgresLexerTests :: TestItem
+> postgresLexerTests = Group "postgresLexerTests" $
+>     [Group "postgres lexer token tests" $ [LexerTest postgres s t |  (s,t) <- postgresLexerTable]
+>     ]