Page 118 - C_GPT _V4 _class_6
P. 118

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#.





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