Abstract

Can human languages help us write programs in a different way than we usually do? To examine this question, we first define exactly what it means for a programming language to be “derived from” a human language. Next, we analyse cases in which translating a program from one human language to another does not significantly change the program’s structure. Finally, we examine two game-changing cases: a programming language derived from Latin, in which syntax plays a limited role compared to morphology, and another derived from Classical Chinese, in which little linguistic recursion is available. These examples show that human languages, even ancient ones, are a reservoir for innovation in program writing. One can encourage programming language designers to dare learn foreign languages and not be ashamed of their own native language.