This is hardly surprising. The only reason "programming languages" are called that is because early computer scientists borrowed from linguistics research at the time which defined language as a set of strings. Programming is general purpose problem solving, the fact that it is expressed in mostly English words is arbitrary e.g. Brainf*ck.
To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
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Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#22This would explain why I can listen to music or TV while coding, but not while reading a book.
Somewhat opposite experience for me. I can’t listen to anything with words while coding. TV, podcasts, songs with lyrics all torpedo my ability to parse code. Instrumental music especially with a strong beat seems to help though.
Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#23Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#24The description of the “multiple demand network” makes it sound kinda like the brain’s universal computer i.e. Turing machine simulator.
Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#25based on my own experience and intuition- programming is most akin to machining or woodworking. its a craft, and its only because its highly paid do people think you are smart because you are good at it.
Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#26This is hardly surprising. The only reason "programming languages" are called that is because early computer scientists borrowed from linguistics research at the time which defined language as a set of strings. Programming is general purpose problem solving, the fact that it is expressed in mostly English words is arbitrary e.g. Brainf*ck.
Seems like a weird conclusion to draw. If programming languages are arbitrary why didn’t we stop abstracting or creating new ones?
The language is often a reflection of the problem it was intended to solve. Would you really argue that Brainfuck can solve your problems just as well as Python?
Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#27This would explain why I can listen to music or TV while coding, but not while reading a book.
I’ve had the same experience. I’ve talked to my coworkers about this before and it seems like we all have different experiences in that regard.
Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#28As someone who is fluently bilingual and speaks a third language and is also proficient or better in a half dozen programming languages along with having written code in many more, this is completely obvious to me. Learning a programming language is much closer to learning a complex board game than it is a natural language.
Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#29This is hardly surprising. The only reason "programming languages" are called that is because early computer scientists borrowed from linguistics research at the time which defined language as a set of strings. Programming is general purpose problem solving, the fact that it is expressed in mostly English words is arbitrary e.g. Brainf*ck.
Seems like a weird conclusion to draw. If programming languages are arbitrary why didn’t we stop abstracting or creating new ones? The language is often a reflection of the problem it was intended to solve. Would you really argue that Brainfuck can solve your problems just as well as Python?
Not that programming languages are arbitrary, but that the choice to use words (Python) rather than, say, punctuation (Brainfck) or emojis is because is easier for our human brains, thus arbitrary. But the task at hand is still problem solving, not language processing (at least not in the capacity of a typical conversation). I think a good example of this is the popularity of code visualizers. The only thing stopping Brainfck from solving your problems as easily as Python is the ease of human understanding, not some fundamental property of Python being more “language-like.”
Re: To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
#30As someone who is fluently bilingual and speaks a third language and is also proficient or better in a half dozen programming languages along with having written code in many more, this is completely obvious to me. Learning a programming language is much closer to learning a complex board game than it is a natural language.
I am autistic.. I read code and "interpolate" across lines quite well.
On the other hand, finishing one basic written sentence can sometimes be a surprising struggle.