Language:Just as
humans use language to communicate, and different regions have different
languages, computers also have their own languages that are specific to them.
Different
kinds of languages have been developed to perform different types of work on
the computer. Basically, languages can be divided into two categories according
to how the computer understands them.
Two Basic Types of Computer Language
·
Low-Level Languages: A language
that corresponds directly to a specific machine
·
High-Level Languages: Any language
that is independent of the machine
Low-Level
Languages
Low-level
computer languages are either machine codes or are very close them. A computer
cannot understand instructions given to it in high-level languages or in
English. It can only understand and execute instructions given in the form of
machine language i.e. binary. There are two types of low-level languages:
·
Machine Language: a language that is directly interpreted into the hardware
·
Assembly Language: a slightly more user-friendly language that
directly corresponds to machine language
1.
Machine Language
Machine
language is the lowest and most elementary level of programming language and
was the first type of programming language to be developed. Machine language is
basically the only language that a computer can understand and it is usually
written in hex.
In fact,
a manufacturer designs a computer to obey just one language, its machine code,
which is represented inside the computer by a string of binary digits (bits) 0
and 1. The symbol 0 stands for the absence of an electric pulse and the 1
stands for the presence of an electric pulse. Since a computer is capable of
recognizing electric signals, it understands machine language.
Advantages:
·
Machine language
makes fast and efficient use of the computer.
·
Machine
language makes fast and efficient use of the computer.
·
Machine
language makes fast and efficient use of the computer.
·
It
requires no translator to translate the code. It is directly understood by the
computer.
Disadvantages
·
All
operation codes have to be remembered.
·
All
memory addresses have to be remembered.
·
It is
hard to amend or find errors in a program written in the machine language.
2.
Assembly Language
Assembly
language was developed to overcome some of the many inconveniences of machine
language. This is another low-level but very important language in which
operation codes and operands are given in the form of alphanumeric symbols
instead of 0’s and l’s.
These
alphanumeric symbols are known as mnemonic codes and can combine in a maximum
of five-letter combinations e.g. ADD for addition, SUB for subtraction, START,
LABEL etc. Because of this feature, assembly language is also known as
‘Symbolic Programming Language.'
This
language is also very difficult and needs a lot of practice to master it
because there is only a little English support in this language. Mostly
assembly language is used to help in compiler orientations. The instructions of
the assembly language are converted to machine codes by a language translator
and then they are executed by the computer.
Advantages:
·
Assembly
language is easier to understand and use as compared to machine language
·
It is
easy to locate and correct errors.
·
It is
easily modified.
Disadvantages:
·
Like
machine language, it is also machine dependent/specific.
·
Since it
is machine dependent, the programmer also needs to understand the hardware.
High-Level
Languages
High-level
computer languages use formats that are similar to English. The purpose of
developing high-level languages was to enable people to write programs easily,
in their own native language environment (English).
High-level
languages are basically symbolic languages that use English words and/or
mathematical symbols rather than mnemonic codes. Each instruction in the
high-level language is translated into many machine language instructions that
the computer can understand.
Advantages:
·
High-level
languages are user-friendly
·
They are
similar to English and use English vocabulary and well-known symbols
·
They are
easier to learn.
·
They are
easier to maintain
·
They are
problem-oriented rather than 'machine'-based
·
A program
written in a high-level language can be translated into many machine languages
and can run on any computer for which there exists an appropriate translator
·
The
language is independent of the machine on which it is used i.e. programs
developed in a high-level language can be run on any computer text
Disadvantages:
·
A
high-level language has to be translated into the machine language by a
translator, which takes up time
·
The
object code generated by a translator might be inefficient compared to an
equivalent assembly language program
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