Programming Languages

Programming languages are the vocabulary, structures and instructions that computer programs need in order to operate properly. There are thousands of programming languages, but the basic ones are:

BASIIC
C++
C
COBOL
Fortran
ADA
PASCAL
JAVASCRIPT

Each of these has its own set of keywords and a special pattern for the organization of the instructions it sends to the computer.

There are several traits necessary for a language to be considered a programming language. These are:

Function. The programming language must be used to write a computer program tat causes the computer to do something. The language can also be used to control devices added to the computer, such as printers.
Target. Programming languages are different from normal languages, which are used for communication between people. In programming, the languages are used for humans to communicate with machines or allow one machine to communicate with another when controlled by a human.
Constructs. They contain constructs for defining and manipulating data structures. They can also be used to control the flow of data.
Expressive Power. All programming languages have the same set of algorithms.

There are different elements to programming languages. Syntax is the surface form of the language. Some consist of letters and numbers, while others are more graphical in nature. A type system defines how a programming language classifies the values and expressions into type and the way it which it manipulates them. It also defines how the various types interact with one another.

The specification of a programming language provides a definition that users can refer to determine how a particular program should behave. The implementation of a language is the way users should execute that program for it to operate properly.