Speaking in Proper Code
10 Feb 2022
Coding is a Language
“Coding is a language.” That’s a phrase that’s been thrown around a lot in my coding classes. As easy as it is to pass it off as an inconsequential remark, there is truth to the phrase. There are some obvious parallels, such as, there’s lists and lists of new vocabulary to learn and you won’t become fluent in a language in just a day. There are also more interesting parallels that can be made. Spoken language can be used to share ideas, request information, and communicate with one another. In the same way, coding involves the sharing of ideas to best solve a problem, and you communicate and request information with a computer when you code. Understanding that coding is a language can deepen our understanding on how and why we code.
The Rules of the Road
Understanding the set rules and grammar for any language is essential to speaking it properly. Coding standards improves the readability of your code and allows other people to more efficiently work on and build off of your code. If you didn’t follow the grammar framework of a language, you wouldn’t be able to communicate effectively or correctly; with the computer or other people. For example, which of these is easier to read: “imo i tink ur g8!” or “In my opinion, I think you’re great!” Writing without proper coding standards is like using the language in the first example. Both the examples have the same meaning but one more clearly communicates the meaning.
Short-cuts = Detours in Disguise
Learning a language is never easy. I would know, I’ve been studying Japanese for the past 5 years of my life. So I understand first-hand that trying to take short-cuts in learning a language deters you more than it helps you. Learning the grammatical structure of any language takes time but being lazy in that area will only cause harm later down the road. I know how tempting it is to ignore the syntax warnings that pop up when you code. The code could still work perfectly fine right? What’s the harm in that, you’ll even save a lot of time when coding. The thing is, grammar rules are there so everyone has common grounds to understand one another. That code you wrote may do its job but, it’s not very good code if only you can understand it. Using the proper syntax and putting effort into writing quality code allows others to better understand and deepen your understanding of what you’ve written. You limit what you’re capable of by taking the easy way out.
How Exciting!
So, coding is a language. Why is that important? Well, for me, it changes how I look at learning to code. It’s common to view coding as typing lines and lines of symbols and numbers using ridgid syntax into a computer for hours on end. And while there is some level of truth to that statement, looking at coding as a language makes me more excited to learn it. I mean, how cool is that? Every line of code that brings up a red squiggly mark that you correct brings you one step closer to being fluent in a new language. However, you can’t take short-cuts when learning a language in order to learn the proper way. Taking the time to build a base understanding and carefully building off of it can be a frustrating process, but can be so rewarding when you accomplish and create things you never thought you could before. So, don’t think that following syntax is a tedious, arduous process that is an inconvenience when writing code. Think of it as being one step closer to fluency in code; a difficult but rewarding language.