lua-users home
lua-l archive

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]


I suppose that in one sense a language like APL is the easiest to "internationalise" as it uses symbols instead of words. It is possible for most (all?) languages but it does introduce a steeper learning curve and can scare people off.

Robert


From: "Marco Salamone" <requerent@gmail.com>
To: "Lua mailing list" <lua-l@lists.lua.org>
Sent: Saturday, 13 April, 2013 11:06:56 PM
Subject: Re: Must programming languages be English ?

> The assumption that "English is the language of software" is one that's going to bite people in the posterior sometime.

I don't know, English has some intrinsic advantages that give it an edge. It's very unambiguous when it comes to parts of speech and the order of words matters. In many European languages, it's a formal practice to end with verbs, but it isn't required. You can put the verb anywhere in most cases and your sentence still makes sense. Also, transitives in English aren't modified by nor do they modify the endings of words. Context can especially be a lot less ambiguous in English. It's probably considered a tricky language because it tends to be literal and explicit, whereas languages like Chinese are full of idioms and implicit meanings. I've known of several non-English speakers that share the same language that prefer to discuss CS concepts in English, though this may not be the norm. I do know that Niklaus Wirth, a Swiss-man, created Pascal in English, despite having several languages at his disposal- including German, which is pretty darn good for logic.


On Sat, Apr 13, 2013 at 3:43 PM, Henning Diedrich <hd2010@eonblast.com> wrote:

On Apr 13, 2013, at 10:37 PM, Robert Virding <robert.virding@erlang-solutions.com> wrote:

> A bit strange that the example uses a swedish language with english names. I

Maybe not. Because it clarifies what's a keyword of the language and what is a variable.

A helpful aspect when introducing a language with a small example (which may or may not be where the snipped came from.)

It's only vice versa than usual -- though probably unfamiliar to native English speakers.

Henning