Page 17 - Viva ICSE Computer Studies 6 : E-book

High-Level Language: Third Generation Language (3GL)

Third generation language (3GL) is a programming language that is simple to learn, write
and understand. The size of a program is also greatly reduced as several machine language
instructions could be summed up in a single high-level language instruction. The major
breakthrough that this generation has brought in is that a program once written can be run on
diff erent types of processors simply by using the corresponding compilers (translators). This
means that the language is not fi xed for any particular computer.

Some examples of high-level languages are explained below.

• FORmulaTRANslation (FORTRAN): It is a language used primarily by the scientifi c
community to solve scientifi c and mathematical problems.
• Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL): It is a language that has gained
immense popularity in commercial establishments.

Fourth Generation Language (4GL)

Fourth generation language (4GL) have further refi ned Learn More
high-level languages to make them similar to a natural
language. The purpose of 4GLs is to reduce programming BASIC, PASCAL, LOGO, C, C++
time, eff ort and cost by off ering diff erent methods of and JAVA are some more high-
level languages.
generating code automatically from a simpler framework.

Some common types of 4GLs are listed below.
• Database Query Languages: Structured Query Language (SQL), NATURAL

• Report Generators: Report Builder, Oracle Reports
• Rapid Application Development Tools: PowerBuilder, Oracle Forms

• Table Driven Codeless Programming: eDeveloper
• GUI/Web Development Tools: Cold Fusion

Language Processors

A program written in any other language needs to be converted into machine language
which the computer can understand. The software used to convert a high-level language into
machine language is called a language processor or a language translator.

Language translators are of three types: assembler, interpreter and compiler. Let’s learn about
them.

Assembler

Assembler translates the assembly language code which are called mnemonic code (source
program) into machine language code (object program). After assembling, a linker program is
used to convert the object program into an executable program. Assemblers are used mainly
in the development of system software.

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