A computer program does not contain the components necessary for a generative language: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Sematics, and Pragmatics. So how do computer technicians justify calling a 'program' a language?
2007-06-20 08:54:00 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Programming & Design
yea i dont understand that either
2007-06-20 08:56:41 · answer #1 · answered by Jake 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Wrong! In theory, a computer programming language could have all the characteristics of a natural human-to-human language. The absence of some characteristics, for example, pragmatics, is just because the computer technology IS STILL in its infant age of human-machine communication and there are still the golden years to come.
Language is a collection of symbols arranged by logics and follows syntax and semantics, and used to transfer some idea, meaning, order, request, thought, lesson, ... from an entity to another. The native computer language, known as machine code, has exactly the same characteristics although it looks like just a series of 1's and 0's to human, but the fact that I do not understand Japanese (for instance), or Japanese is difficult for me to understand would not label Japanese as a something different than a language. The computer code is used as a means of communication with computer. Programming languages, known as high-level programming languages are codes and symbols closer to natural human language, and would be translated (compiled) to machine code - a language that a computer would understand - much the same way English would be translated to German for some people who might understand only German.
2007-06-20 11:26:46 · answer #2 · answered by ʃοχειλ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You obviously don't know a lot about programming, if anything at all. First: there's a difference between a computer program, and a (computer) programming language. A programming language is used to express the behavior of a computer program.
Second: programming languages DO have a grammar, a syntax, semantics and I even have a book on my shelve entitled Computer Language Pragmatics.
And third: for a language to be a language, it doesn't require phonology; the definition of the word 'language' doesn't entail any references to speech. If that were the case, then sign language wouldn't be a language, either.
2007-06-20 09:01:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The phonology involved in computers is involved in the sounds we teach them via, yes, programs, to make: ask a blind person who must have a web page read to her/him. A morphology is involved in the manner in which the English-formed tokens are converted via compilation into the computer-formed tokens (machine language) bits and bytes which the computer can truly understand. The syntax, I suspect, you can understand already: ever try to tell a computer, divide 1 by zero? All this works out to be, a language is a manner of one "intelligent" organized piece of matter (us) sharing information with another organized piece of matter (a computer)...and to the degree that we teach computers more and more and they store more and more of our information and our manner of communication, the more complex we may call it, "language".
2007-06-20 09:18:13 · answer #4 · answered by fjpoblam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"So how do computer technicians justify calling a 'program' a language? "
they don't .. people like yourself do ;-)
think of it like english, being the LANGUAGE and SENTENCE being something made from the language.
syntax is more important to a computer in the sense of humans have the ability to correct minor mistakes.
bottom line with a computer is it understands 0 or 1... programming languages , just make it easier for humans than coding in binary ;-).
2007-06-20 09:08:43 · answer #5 · answered by junglejungle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Programs are a language becuase they do have syntax and sematic rules. basically a language is a set of strings of characters from some alphabet.
2007-06-20 09:04:52 · answer #6 · answered by Robert C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because programming languages are the languages of computers and its related accessories, using these "languages" computers can communicate with each other. Also computers speaking different languages cannot talk to each other, and that is where the "translators" drivers and codecs come in.
2007-06-20 08:59:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe the answer your looking for is the difference between the two. There isn't a set word for all computer syntax languages. However, web design syntax (HTML, XML, javascript) are referred to as a "formatting language" and C, Java, lamp stack are languages are referred to as application development languages. Or maybe the name your looking for is "syntax".
2016-05-21 00:47:30 · answer #8 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't call the program a language. They use the word language to describe the software used to generate the program. Such as; BASIC, C, C++, Java, cobol, fortran etc.. Those do qualify as a language by your description.
2007-06-20 08:58:59 · answer #9 · answered by I Like Stories 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does have syntax. They call it a language because it's a use of words and stuff that the computer understands and speaks (metaphorically speaking).
2007-06-20 08:56:47 · answer #10 · answered by T-Rav 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What else would you propose? The various coding languages use specific words, phrases or symbology that can be translated into processor code. You can't intermix COBOL and FORTRAN with ALGOL, Basic, RPG, Jovial, Simscript, ect. Each has it's own specific requirements.
Besides, nobody has ever claimed them to be 'generative' languages.
2007-06-20 09:03:17 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋