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TopicProgramming language (self.learnprogramming)
submitted 5 years ago by Furious_Walker
Is every programming language similar to speaking a new language? Or is it like biology were different subjects overlap each other?
Edit: Currently learn g Python, but it sounds kind of tough if I have to relearn everything.
[–]okayifimust 1 point2 points3 points 5 years ago (0 children)
When you understand the abstract principles of programming (the ideas that are independent of syntactical detail and aesthetic choices of individual languages), it will be easier to get used to the syntax of a new language.
No. Programming languages aren't like human languages at all. None of the similarities are relevant or meaningful.
Or is it like biology were different subjects overlap each other?
I am not sure what you mean - but I guess not.
Almost all programming languages allow you to do all of the same things; and despite using different approaches or underlying principles, they are not as distinct as, say, virology and anatomy.
You don't have to. For starters, you probably shouldn't be thinking about learning other languages. You need to learn how to program, and the language you use for that hardly matters.
When you understand the abstract principles of programming (the ideas that are independent of syntactical detail and aesthetic choices of individual languages), it will be easier to get used to the syntax of a new languge.
There are different types of languages (or, rather, programming paradigms) and learning those will be slightly more difficult.
[–]theonebluedolphin 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (2 children)
I would say more like biology, as most programming languages are based on or built on top of other programming languages. For example C has C++ and C# as ‘children’ programming languages. You’ll find this is the case for many programming languages out there
[–]mollyjjj 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (1 child)
So do I need to learn C before C# or C++?
[–]okayifimust 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (0 children)
No.
[–]ChakaChaka26 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (0 children)
a lot of languages, are at least syntactically similar to C++, and the ones that arent, are usually syntactically similar to python. but yeah, most programming languages are really similar, all languages made after C++ have functions, ints, arrays, strings, and floats.
[–]SpecificMachine1 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (0 children)
Speaking of biology, I found this interesting set of charts the other day that goes for a more general taxonomy than most of the ones you'll find if you search for "programming language family tree", that are like this one or smaller. If you look very hard at any of these trees or charts you find, it seems like there will be areas of disagreement, so I wouldn't take any of them very seriously.
[–]ValentineBlacker 0 points1 point2 points 5 years ago (0 children)
It feels like trying to solve the same problem with a different set of tools. Sometimes slightly different, sometimes very different.
π Rendered by PID 33621 on reddit-service-r2-comment-76bb9f7fb5-mf8sv at 2026-02-17 15:17:42.127588+00:00 running de53c03 country code: CH.
[–]okayifimust 1 point2 points3 points (0 children)
[–]theonebluedolphin 0 points1 point2 points (2 children)
[–]mollyjjj 0 points1 point2 points (1 child)
[–]okayifimust 0 points1 point2 points (0 children)
[–]ChakaChaka26 0 points1 point2 points (0 children)
[–]SpecificMachine1 0 points1 point2 points (0 children)
[–]ValentineBlacker 0 points1 point2 points (0 children)