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A computer program is a set of instructions written in a programming language. There are a
number of programming languages worldwide.
Computer languages are classified into two major categories: Low-level language and High-level
language.
The process of writing a program is called programming. People who write programs are called
programmers.
There are a number of programming languages worldwide. Some languages were developed
for specific computers; others were developed for specific uses, such as scientific or business
applications.
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)
Low-level language is a programming language that deals with the computer’s hardware
components. It is machine-dependent and is closed to machine code. A set of low-level language
instructions written for a particular type of computer will not work on a computer with a different
design. These languages are also known as computers’ native languages. They are difficult to
understand but executed quickly.
They are further classified to Machine Language and Assembly Language.
Machine Language (1GL)
Machine language is the only language understood by the computer. It is also known as 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. Every instruction written in form of 0 and 1 are
directly operated by CPU.
Assembly Language (2GL)
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‘.
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Categories of Computers and Computer Languages

