Computer Languages

 What is Computer Language?

Generally, we use languages like English, Hindi, etc., to make communication between two persons. That means when we want to make communication between two persons we need a language through which persons can express their feelings. Similarly, when we want to make communication between user and computer or between two or more computers we need a language through which user can give information to the computer and vice versa. When a user wants to give any instruction to the computer the user needs a specific language and that language is known as a computer language.

The user interacts with the computer using programs and that programs are created using computer programming languages like C, C++, Java, etc.,

Every computer programming language contains a set of predefined words and a set of rules (syntax) that are used to create instructions of a program.

 

Computer Languages Classification

 

 

 

• Low-Level Language (Machine Language)

 Low-Level language is the only language which can be understood by the computer. Binary Language is an example of a low-level language. Low-level language is also known as Machine Language. The binary language contains only two symbols 1 & 0. All the instructions of binary language are written in the form of binary numbers 1's & 0's. A computer can directly understand the binary language. Machine language is also known as the Machine Code.

• Middle-Level Language (Assembly Language)

Middle-level language is a computer language in which the instructions are created using symbols such as letters, digits and special characters. Assembly language is an example of middle-level language. In assembly language, we use predefined words called mnemonics. Binary code instructions in low-level language are replaced with mnemonics and operands in middle-level language. But the computer cannot understand mnemonics, so we use a translator called Assembler to translate mnemonics into binary language. Assembler is a translator which takes assembly code as input and produces machine code as output. That means, the computer cannot understand middle-level language, so it needs to be translated into a low-level language to make it understandable by the computer. Assembler is used to translate middle-level language into low-level language.

• High-Level Language

A high-level language is a computer language which can be understood by the users. The high-level language is very similar to human languages and has a set of grammar rules that are used to make instructions more easily. Every high-level language has a set of predefined words known as Keywords and a set of rules known as Syntax to create instructions. The high-level language is easier to understand for the users but the computer can not understand it. High-level language needs to be converted into the low-level language to make it understandable by the computer. We use Compiler or interpreter to convert high-level language to low-level language.

Languages like COBOL, FORTRAN, BASIC, C, C++, JAVA, etc., are examples of high-level languages. All these programming languages use human-understandable language like English to write program instructions. These instructions are converted to low-level language by the compiler so that it can be understood by the computer.

 

Understanding Computer Languages