A Fragmented Field: A Systematic Literature Review on Conceptual Compatibility in Multilingual Software Systems
Mikel Vandeloise · JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science · 2026
The contemporary software engineering landscape is characterized by polyglot programming, a practice that, while powerful, introduces significant interoperability challenges. Despite a wealth of technical solutions, a fundamental gap persists: the lack of formal, quantitative metrics to assess conceptual compatibility between languages or paradigms. This paper addresses this gap through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 82 primary studies. Our analysis reveals two major findings. First, a citation network analysis exposes a profound structural fragmentation within the included corpus: research on practical approaches is highly atomized, while work on foundational metrics resembles a non-cumulative scientific archipelago. Second, our thematic synthesis shows that this fragmentation is the primary reason why, although the literature contains all the necessary building blocks for a compatibility metric, a convergent blueprint bridging formal methods and empirical validation, this blueprint remains unrealized. We conclude that the field’s fragmentation has hindered its progression and present an evidence-based research agenda to unify and consolidate it.