Computer language is a set of symbols in which operating instructions for a computer are written. Computer languages are also called programming languages.
Programs written in the most basic languages, called machine languages, instruct the computer directly. A computer operates by manipulating electric charges that represent the numbers 0 and 1. These charges, in turn, represent numbers, letters, other symbols, and pictures and sounds–all the data that the computer processes and all the programs used to process the data. Machine languages use only two symbols–the numerals 0 and 1. When these symbols are entered into a computer, electronic circuits translate them into charges representing 0’s and 1’s.
One level higher than machine languages are assembly languages. These languages use the numerals 0 through 9, the letters of the alphabet, and other symbols. A program called an assembler translates each command in an assembly language into a command in machine language.
The main drawback of assembly languages is that a separate program must be written for each type of computer. To avoid this drawback, most programs are written in high-level languages. A program called a compiler generally translates a high-level language into an assembly language for a specific type of computer and then translates the assembly language into machine language. An added advantage of high-level languages is that they more closely resemble ordinary written languages, such as English, than assembly languages do.
See also Coding ; HyperText Markup Language (HTML) ; STEM education .
