Computers and Computing

A Dictionary of Computing Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language Further reading

formal language

A Dictionary of Computing | 2004 | | Copyright

formal language
1. A language with explicit and precise rules for its syntax and semantics. Examples include programming languages and also logics such as predicate calculus. Thus formal languages contrast with natural languages such as English whose rules, evolving as they do with use, fall short of being either a complete or a precise definition of the syntax, much less the semantics, of the language.

2. A finite or infinite set of strings, considered in isolation from any possible meaning the strings or the symbols in them may have. If A is any set, an A-language (or language over A) is any set of A-words (see word). A is referred to as the alphabet of such a language.

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JOHN DAINTITH. "formal language." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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FORMAL LANGUAGE

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | | Copyright

FORMAL LANGUAGE.
1. Language that is formal and ceremonial.

2. A language designed for use in situations in which natural language is considered unsuitable, such as logic, mathematics, and computer programming. Compare ARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE, NATURAL LANGUAGE.

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TOM McARTHUR. "FORMAL LANGUAGE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "FORMAL LANGUAGE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-FORMALLANGUAGE.html

TOM McARTHUR. "FORMAL LANGUAGE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-FORMALLANGUAGE.html

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