- language
- language lan‧guage [ˈlæŋgwɪdʒ] noun1. [countable, uncountable] a system of speaking and writing used by people in one country or area:
• the French language
• Do you speak any foreign languages?
• Trading in Europe means communicating in more than one language.
ofˌficial ˈlanguage [countable]the language that is approved by the government of a country, taught in schools, and used in legal and official documents:• Croatian is the official language of Croatia.
ˌworld ˈlanguage [countable]a language such as English that is used in many different parts of the world2. [uncountable] the kind of words and style used in one kind of writing or by people in a particular job or activity:• technical language
3. also computer language [countable, uncountable] COMPUTING a system of commands and instructions used for operating a computer:• Internet Protocol ( IP) is a computer language that allows email users to communicate with one another.
• the business-oriented Cobol computer language
asˈsembly ˌlanguage [uncountable] COMPUTINGa computer language that uses ordinary words and numbers. The computer changes assembly language into the machine language in which it operates :• Early versions of the software were written in assembly language.
ˌhigh-ˈlevel ˌlanguage [countable, uncountable] COMPUTINGa computer language used to write computer programs that includes ordinary words and numbers, and is designed to be easy to use. High-level languages include Basic, C, Cobol, and Fortranmaˈchine ˌlanguage [countable, uncountable] COMPUTINGa computer language used to write computer programs that uses instructions written in binary numbers (= combinations of the numbers 0 and 1) that can be understood directly by the computer. Machine language programs run very quickly, but are difficult to write because ordinary words and numbers are not used:• Anything that is input into the computer will in the end be translated into machine language.
ˈobject ˌlanguage [countable, uncountable] COMPUTINGa computer language that uses standard blocks of instructions that have already been written. Object language allows programmers to work more quicklyˈprogramming ˌlanguage [countable, uncountable] COMPUTINGa computer language used to write computer programs:• HTML is the programming language of the Internet's World Wide Web.
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language UK US /ˈlæŋgwɪdʒ/ noun [C or U]► COMMUNICATIONS the method of human communication that uses speaking and writing, or the system of communication in speaking and writing that is used by the people of a particular country: learn/understand a language »It's easier to learn a language when you're younger.
speak/use a language »35% of residents speak a language other than English at home.
»Many British people speak no foreign languages.
in a language »Business deals often go more smoothly if you can speak to people in their own language.
»Too many children leave school with poor language skills, unable to compose a letter or email.
»The company offers language classes for employees posted abroad.
► COMMUNICATIONS a particular style of speaking or writing, for example, one that is used by the people doing a particular job: »When you are giving instructions, make sure you use language that everyone can understand.
the language of sth »They speak the language of international finance.
► IT written instructions, for example, rules and symbols, given to a computer so it can understand what the user wants it to do: »This version of the UNIX language serves as a software platform for computer programs.
→ See also ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE(Cf. ↑assembly language), BODY LANGUAGE(Cf. ↑body language), COMPUTER LANGUAGE(Cf. ↑computer language), MACHINE LANGUAGE(Cf. ↑machine language), OBJECT LANGUAGE(Cf. ↑object language), OFFICIAL LANGUAGE(Cf. ↑official language), PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE(Cf. ↑programming language), WORLD LANGUAGE(Cf. ↑world language)
Financial and business terms. 2012.
