Programming Languages

Programming Languages

Unfortunately, computers cannot understand human languages. The
only language they can understand directly is called machine code.
This consists of the 1s and 0s (binary codes) processed by the CPU.
However, machine code as a means of communication is very
difficult to write. For this reason, we use symbolic languages that are
easier to understand. Then, by using a special program, these
languages can be translated into machine code. For example, the socalled
assembly languages use abbreviations such as ADD, SUB,
MPY to represent instructions. These codes are like labels that refer
to the related items. Basic languages, where the program is similar to
the machine code version, are known as low-level languages. In
these languages, each instruction is equivalent to a single machine
code instruction, and the program is converted into machine code by
a special program called an assembler. These languages are still
quite complex and restricted to particular machines.
To make the programs easier to write and to overcome the problem of
intercommunication between different types of machines, high-level
languages were designed such as BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, or
Pascal. These are all problem-oriented rather than machine-oriented.
Programs written in one of these languages (known as source
programs) are converted into a lower-level language by means of a
compiler (generating the object program). On compilation, each
statement in a high-level language is generally translated into many
machine code instructions.
People communicate instructions to the computer in symbolic
languages. When this communication is easier, the application of
computers will be wider. Scientists are already working on Artificial
Intelligence (AI), and the next generation of computers may be able
to understand human languages.