Topic summary

Non-English-based programming languages

Non-English-based programming languages

Non-English-based programming languages are programming languages that do not use keywords taken from or inspired by English vocabulary. Prevalence of English-based programming languages The use of the English language in the inspiration for the choice of elements, in particular for reserved words (keywords) in computer programming languages and code libraries, represents a significant trend in the history of language design. According to the HOPL online database of languages, out of the 8,500+ programming languages recorded, roughly 2,400 of them were developed in the United States, 600 in the United Kingdom, 160 in Canada, and 75 in Australia. Thus, over a third of all programming languages have been developed in countries where English is the primary language. This does not account for the usage share of each programming language, situations where a language was developed in a non-English-speaking country but used English to appeal to an international audience (see the case of Python from the Netherlands, Ruby from Japan, and Lua from Brazil), and situations where it was based on another programming language which used English. International programming languages The concept of