Programming Languages

Programming Languages

A programming language is a set of symbols, grammars and rules with the help of which one is able to translate algorithms to programs that will be executed by the computer.

The programmer communicates with a machine using programming languages. There are many different classifications of programming languages and these programming languages differ in their closeness to the machine and in the way they are structured. Most of the programs have a highly structured set of rules.

The primary classifications of programming languages are:

• Machine Languages.
• Assembly Languages.
• High level Languages.

Machine Level Language

Machine language is a collection of binary digits or bits that the computer reads and interprets. 

Machine language is the only language a computer is capable of understanding.

Machine level language is a language that supports

Assembly Level Language

A set of instructions for an assembly language is essentially one to one with those of machine language.

Like machine language, assembly language are unique to a computer.

The big difference is that instead of a cumbersome series of ones and zeroes, assembly languages use easily recognizable symbols called mnemonics, to represent instructions.

As said before, machine language and assembly language are lowlevel languages and are dependent on particular machine architecture.

They are more close to the machine rather than the programmer.

High Level Language

High level language is a language that supports the human and the application sides of the programming (typical features: ability to logic structuring of the algorithm, crossplatform independence).

A language is a machineindependent way to specify the sequence of operations necessary to accomplish a task.

A language can be designed to be express in a concise way, a common sequence of operations.

A line in a high level language can execute powerful operations, and correspond to tens, or hundreds, of instructions at the machine level.