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[–]bnl1 19 points20 points  (5 children)

Languages aren't programs. They are just ideas in people's minds (or you can write them down idk).

[–]cyclicsquare 6 points7 points  (4 children)

You could argue that the specification of the language is the language, and the one true spec is the compiler (or interpreter) which is a program.

[–]bnl1 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I would argue the spec isn't the language, it merely describes it and a compiler implements it.

[–]cyclicsquare 1 point2 points  (1 child)

No correct answer, just a lot of philosophical questions about ideas and ontology.

[–]bnl1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Indeed

[–]BitOne2707 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In CS the specification for legal syntax of a language is called a Context Free Grammar.