In the old days of computer languages there were vast differences between the grid placement of RPG, the free form nature of BASIC and the wordiness of COBOL. One could tell them apart in an instance. Now all the languages strive to be free-form and object-oriented. They all pile on as many built-in functions and abilities as possible.
Once one language designer decides on a need for a CASE statement they all need one. Once one language uses a // for line comments then all the others have to do the same thing.
I have been recently learning and working with JavaScript and Java. I have been told for years that they were quite different concepts and Wikipedia says that they have quite different syntax. But gee, they both do a lot of {block} operations and both try to be as succinct at possible.
I was wondering why all these languages are based on English. I know that French tends to be wordy and other some human languages have much more complicated verge structure; but I do wonder why one never sees a computer language based on something like POUR .. SUIVANT ... FINI instead of IF .. THEN ... END.
Surely there must be some computer languages based on non English verbs and nouns?
This is awfully ethnocentric don't you think? Or am I being simply human species-centric instead of being a truly digital thinker?
