Formal Instruction Language

A Formal Instruction Language is a formal language that specifies computational instructions with precise semantics.

• AKA: Programming Language, Computer Language, Computational Language, Instruction Specification Language.
• Context:
  • It can typically define Syntactic Rules through language grammar.
  • It can typically specify Semantic Rules via execution models.
  • It can often support Computational Instruction Tasks through language constructs.
  • It can often enable Computational Instruction Systems via language processors.
  • It can range from being a Low-Level Formal Instruction Language to being a High-Level Formal Instruction Language, depending on its abstraction level.
  • It can range from being a Imperative Formal Instruction Language to being a Declarative Formal Instruction Language, depending on its programming paradigm.
  • It can range from being a Statically-Typed Formal Instruction Language to being a Dynamically-Typed Formal Instruction Language, depending on its type system.
  • It can range from being a General-Purpose Formal Instruction Language to being a Domain-Specific Formal Instruction Language, depending on its application scope.
  • It can range from being a Compiled Formal Instruction Language to being an Interpreted Formal Instruction Language, depending on its execution method.
  • It can integrate with Development Environment Systems for code editing.
  • It can integrate with Computational Orchestration Frameworks for system coordination.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • System-Level Formal Instruction Languages, such as:
    • C Language for system programming.
    • C++ Language for object-oriented system programming.
    • Rust Language for memory-safe system programming.
  • Application-Level Formal Instruction Languages, such as:
    • Java Language for enterprise applications.
    • Python Language for general-purpose applications.
    • JavaScript Language for web applications.
  • Declarative Formal Instruction Languages, such as:
    • SQL Language for database query.
    • Prolog Language for logic programming.
    • Datalog Language for deductive reasoning.
    • SASS Language for stylesheet definition.
  • Functional Formal Instruction Languages, such as:
    • Lisp Language for symbolic computation.
    • Haskell Language for pure functional programming.
    • ML Language for type-safe functional programming.
  • Scientific Formal Instruction Languages, such as:
    • MATLAB Language for numerical computation.
    • R Language for statistical computing.
    • APL Language for array manipulation.
  • Educational Formal Instruction Languages, such as:
    • BASIC Language for introductory programming.
    • Pascal Language for structured programming education.
    • Logo Language for educational graphics programming.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Natural Language, which lacks formal semantics.
  • Mathematical Notation, which lacks execution model.
  • Pseudocode, which lacks precise syntax.
• See: Computational Instruction System, Computational Instruction Task, Programming Paradigm, Language Compiler, Language Interpreter, Development Environment System, Type System, Computational Execution Model, Domain-Specific Language.

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