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Computer languages are classified into two major categories:

Computer Languages

Low-Level Language High-Level Language

Machine Assembly Third Generation Fourth-Generation Natural
Language (1GL) Language (2GL) Language (3GL) Language (4GL) Language (5GL)

Low-Level Language (LLL)

A low-level language is a programming language that is machine dependent. A program written in
machine dependent language runs only on one particular type of computer.

There are two categories of low-level languages: Machine Language and Assembly Language

Machine Language
Machine language is the only language understood by the computer. It is also known as the first

generation language (1GL). Machine language is very difficult for programmers to use because it only
consists of two digits, 0 and 1, called binary digits or bits. Where the bit '0' represents the OFF state and
the bit '1' represents the ON state.

Assembly Language

Assembly language is also known as second generation language (2GL). It is the language in which
program codes are written in the form of alphanumeric symbols called ‘mnemonics’ instead of 0 and 1.
In the assembly language, a programmer writes abbreviations such as A for addition, C for compare, L
for load, and M for multiply. Because of this feature, it is also known as ‘Symbolic Language’. Assembly

language provides a more human-readable way to write programs compared to machine language.
High-Level Language (HLL)

High-level language is a programming language that enables a programmer to write programs that
are machine independent. These languages are considered as high-level languages because they are
closer to human languages and away from machine languages.

The main advantage of high-level languages over low-level languages is that they are easier to read and
write. Let's discuss some high-level languages.

Third Generation Languages (3GL)

In third generation languages (3GL), the programmer writes a series of English like words that tell the
computer what to accomplish and how to do it. Many third generation languages also use arithmetic
operators such as * for multiplication and + for addition. Some early procedural 3GL include BASIC,
PASCAL, C and FORTRAN. Some other advanced object-oriented 3GLs include C++, Java, and C#.

Introduction to Programming 99