What is programming language? A programming language is a type of written language that tells computers what to do. Examples are Python , Ruby , Java , JavaScript , C , C++ , and C# . Programming languages are used to write all computer programs and computer software . A programming language is like a set of instructions that the computer follows to do something. A programmer writes text in the source code of a programming language to make programs. Usually, the programming language uses real words for some of the commands (e.g. "if... then... else...", "and", "or"), so that the language is easier for a human to understand. Like any normal language, many programming languages use punctuation . Many programs are then compiled , which means that the computer changes, or translates , the source code into another language (such as assembl...