Toward a semiotic theory of programming languages
Steven I. Laszlo · ACM SIGPLAN Notices · 1968
Based on previous results in a variety of related areas, a schema is described to produce a unified semiotic theory specifically applicable to programming languages. An alternative to BNF-like descriptions is referred to, and the structure of the semantic and pragmatic components is outlined. Programming languages are treated as any other algorithmic notation, and no reference is allowed in the proposed theory to equipment, object code, compiler, or environment.