Re: OT - Programming Languages w/o English Syntax
Tom <tb.31009.nospam@comcast.net> writes:
> On Fri, Oct 17, 2003 at 02:01:24PM -0500, Ron Johnson wrote:
> > On Fri, 2003-10-17 at 12:29, Monique Y. Herman wrote:
> > > On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 at 11:15 GMT, Tom penned:
> > > > [OT, sorry -- but question is obscure, will be hard to google]
> > > >
> > > > Are any non-english-speaking readers aware of High-level programming
> > > > languages using non-English syntax? Like, could I find a French C
> > > > compiler that uses "pour" instead of "for" and "si" instead of "if"?
> > [snip]
> > > You're right; the anglo-centric nature of most programming languages is
> > > distressing. It would be fun to code in a language based on a totally
> >
> > Distressing???????? What an over-reaction.
> >
> > Guess what? When French/German/Chinese/Spanish/Portuguese/Japanese
> > Computer Scientists decide to write a programming language in their
> > own native language, there will be programming languages in those
> > languages. But then, why did Niklaus Wirth use English key words,
> > even though he is Swiss/German?
I know, there was a swedish version of basic around in the 70s-80s
timeframe. Other places would have had similar things. I expect the
russians had some russian/cyrillic based thing.
> Okay, I started this OT thread, I'll try to end it.
>
> *I was interested in languages with alternate semantics, not just
> alternate syntax.
>
> *20 years ago I read an article comparing programming languages with the
> nationality of the author. (Pascal->Wirth->German: highly structured
> syntax. C->Americans: fast and loose, 20 ways to say the same thing.)
> You can say in Latin in 7 words what takes 11 words to say in English.
> Chinese can be incredibly terse (e.g., ancient chinese business
> documents) or incredbily expressive (e.e., chinese poetry), so that
> might make an interesting programming language.
>
> *Most westerns think in Subject-Predicate terms; i.e., the subject is
> primary, the predicate modifies it, so we all have Object.Method
> languages. Cherokee indians use Predicate-Subject; predicate is the
> central term, subject modifies it, like functional languages.
>
> But all of this is terribly OT for the thread, so let it die. Thanks to
> all who answered.
Have you tried Common-Lisp? I found it to be very different from the
other languages I know, C, matlab, pascal, basic, fortran &c. Even
though I don't use it much for my work, learning Lisp was mind expanding.
--
Johan KULLSTAM
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