Similarities between human language and computer programming language
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Ana Harris
Ana Harris
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Nov 1, 2018
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5 min read
Human languages vs. Programming languages
A brief comparison from a perspective of a linguist (soon to be) turned programmer
I still remember the day I first learned about computational linguistics. I had just graduated from science specialized high school, and faced the tough decision on what to study. For whatever reason I decided to go with languages, and it was on one of the first lectures that I learned about applied linguistics and its numerous subdivisions. Out of all those fields, computational linguistics caught my attention. I remember thinking it must be a perfect balance of two very different disciplines, ideal for the indecisive types like me who refuse to choose between humanities and science.
Source: 3:AM Magazine
Nine years later I am learning again, but this time I’m on the other side of the coin — learning about programming. The memories of student days have returned, but this time I can do more than dream about this perfectly balanced field. I’m using this opportunity to learn more about linguistics, programming, and everything they have in common. So let’s start from the very basics.
What is a language?
Defining a language might seem easy, but pages and pages could be (and have been) written about it. The reason behind this is the complex nature of a language as a phenomenon, as well as different ways to approach it and explain it. Language can be defined as a system of spoken, manual, or written symbols that human beings use to express themselves, their identity, imagination, and emotions. Over time languages evolved and developed, and we found a way to describe and systematize those changes. However, their main purpose — communication — didn’t change.
Programming languages revolve around the same principle of communication. They were created by humans as a system of symbols and rules used to communicate a set of instructions to a machine/computer. Although a lot simpler in their nature, programming languages have also developed their own classification and history.
So what are the similarities and differences between programming languages and human languages?
Similarities
We already got this from the previous paragraph, but let’s repeat it again: the main function of languages, be it Python or Chinese, is communication. This is the most important similarity between them, and one of the main reasons we refer to both of them as languages.
Another important feature that they have in common is structure. Two of the main concepts in linguistics are semantics and syntax. Semantics refers to the meaning of a certain word, or rather an information connected to a certain concept