Computer Languages as an Object of Philosophical and Methodological Research

The conceptual framework used to describe sign systems of human–machine interaction was refined. Computer languages are localized within the structure of related concepts ranging from sign systems to programming languages. The use of the term “computer language” as a generic concept for the subject area is substantiated, since it makes it possible to avoid reduction to programming languages while simultaneously excluding languages of interpersonal communication from consideration. Computer languages are characterized as a special class of artificial sign systems formed at the intersection of philosophical projects of knowledge formalization and engineering practices of computational process control. Consideration is given to the productivity of applying the semiotic triad of syntactics, semantics, and pragmatics to the analysis and typologization of computer languages. The limitations of approaches treating computer languages as isolated formal structures without regard to the realities of engineering practice are demonstrated. Similarities between natural and computer languages are identified: in both cases, language may be understood as an abstraction over a multiplicity of concrete speech practices, while its boundaries remain fluid, historically variable, and context-dependent. The methodological significance of the problem of identifying specific languages is described. Similar to the difficulties of distinguishing between language and dialect in natural languages, the boundaries between computer languages become blurred due to the coexistence of incompatible standard versions, language dialects, and different compiler or translator implementations. Consideration of these circumstances requires inclusion in the analysis not only of syntactic and semantic characteristics, but also of the pragmatic, historical, and sociotechnical context. It is emphasized that the spread of large language models and autonomous AI agents transforms the production and interpretation of computer texts, thereby challenging traditional notions of the human being as the subject of computer language practices.

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