What is meant by standardising a programming language?

Standardising a language means publishing an agreed definition of its syntax and of the meaning of each construct, so that every implementation behaves in the same way.

Which kinds of body publish programming language standards?

International standards organisations such as ISO and national ones such as ANSI publish them, usually working from a draft produced by a committee drawn from the language's own users and suppliers.

What is meant by a dialect of a programming language?

A dialect is a supplier's own version of a language that adds features or alters behaviour, so a program written in it is not accepted by other implementations.

WJEC A-Level Computer Science 601-5345-3

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Programming Paradigms and Translators

Standardisation of computer languages

3 things to know
A2 Unit 3

Overview

Standardising a programming language, three benefits of a programming language being standardised and dialect of a programming language.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

State three benefits of a programming language being standardised.

Key term

How does a language standard support portability?

Key term

Why does standardisation make a language easier to teach?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is meant by standardising a programming language?
Model answer
Standardising a language means publishing an agreed definition of its syntax and of the meaning of each construct, so that every implementation behaves in the same way.
2
State three benefits of a programming language being standardised.
Model answer
A program can be moved between different compilers and machines, a programmer's skills transfer between employers, and code written years earlier still translates correctly.
3
How does a language standard support portability?
Model answer
Every compiler that conforms to the standard accepts the same syntax and gives it the same meaning, so source written for one machine will run on another once it has been translated there.
4
Why does standardisation make a language easier to teach?
Model answer
Textbooks and courses can be written against one published definition rather than against the behaviour of a particular supplier's product.
5
Which kinds of body publish programming language standards?
Model answer
International standards organisations such as ISO and national ones such as ANSI publish them, usually working from a draft produced by a committee drawn from the language's own users and suppliers.
6
What is meant by a dialect of a programming language?
Model answer
A dialect is a supplier's own version of a language that adds features or alters behaviour, so a program written in it is not accepted by other implementations.

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