A Conceptual Framework for Programming Languages

Abstract

The conceptual framework presented in this paper contains language independent concepts that enable discussions of programming languages in general, independently of the premises of specific languages. Within the framework, special emphasis is put on analysis of the abstraction techniques: Classification, aggregation and generalization. The discussion of the various aspects of programming languages is based on a model for program executions - the descriptor-entity model. The conceptual framework can serve as an aid in gaining a coherent understanding of the programming language area, and in the process of language description and standardization. The approach to the development of the framework is to attack the programming language area from two different perspectives. Firstly, programming languages are seen as tools for conceptual modelling, and secondly, as tools for instructing the computer.