Mini-languages revisited: programming language concepts

The study of programming languages is beneficial to all levels of programmers. The nature of the work done by graduating students requires that they be familiar with at least one programming language. Yet, this language may not be the one they actually use on the job. By studying programming language concepts, students can gain an increased capacity to express ideas, an improved background for choosing appropriate languages, an increased ability to learn new languages, a better understanding of the significance of implementation, and an increased ability to design new languages [6]. Programming languages are tools and a tool needs to be fully understood before it can be used properly [4].