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Comment by erokar | Hacker News Reader

I wonder to what extent using several programming languages has the same effect. If the hypothesis about language switching as an inhibitory mental exercise is correct, then polyglot programming should have some of the same benefits.

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This is more of an anecdotal bent, but I've long felt that knowing multiple programming languages makes me more productive and confident when using any one of them, because I have a better understanding of where their respective strength and weaknesses reside in a broader spectrum. Now, this year I took to learning Korean as a hobby, which is markedly different from my native German (and English) - and I think I'm starting to see this pattern replicated in that realm to some degree. Particularly because the vocab has completely separate etymology. It's giving me some new general insights into how humans approach certain topics, which factors transfer and hold true across the different language spheres and which don't, that sort of thing. It's incredibly satisfying even in the little time I get to spend on it.

So at least in that sense, I think you can get something similar out of the two.

Are programming languages more tools or languages? To put it another way, if I know several methods of knitting, would that offer similar benefits of being multilingual, or are human languages different than other tools?

Maybe a better analogy is musical instruments. I've heard knowing how to play multiple instruments offers significant cognitive benefits.

I don't think it applies. Being bilingual means thinking in two different languages. I'm talking about your inner voice.

As far as I know, people don't think in Python or C. I would say that a programming language is like math. You can use it as a plugin in your language, but you still need the main program which is your language.

It might be difficult comparing even python and c but what about lisp and c or prolog?

I might not be so much about the language but about the paradigm. Certainly going from Java to C++ might not be that different but through in something like Haskell and you almost have to entirely rethink your solution.

One thing is setting your logic to follow a certain way of thinking, and a completely different thing is the language you are using to think.

Furthermore, programming languages are written in English. A real language cannot be written in another language.

I'm not a linguist nor a programmer, but I'm trilingual, and I have scripted at a basic level. And honestly, although I see the resemblance, I don't think that programming languages and real languages work the same way.

I'm trilingual (Spanish,French,German) and program fluently in at least 3 languages (Python, Javascript, PHP). Things in common: You build an idea in the air and shoot it in the language. Happens to me a lot in German where I don't have a vocabulary as wide as Spanish on English that the brain will have to build a sentence maybe 30% longer but it will eventually bring out something that does the job. When I'm coding I just know the program needs to do certain thing. Python is very straightforward while with PHP usually I need to build some auxiliary function (same as German , not that the word doesn't exist but I don't have it in my Head at the moment). Also, very obscure concepts like "Dativ" conjugation do exist in spanish but since it looks the same as "Genitiv" and "Akkusativ" , nobody pays to much attention. However when you are speaking German you'd better understand that as you need them to correctly build a sentence of the fly. An example analogy with coding would be generic data structures like arrays in PHP but in Python are more rich like Lists, Dictionaries and Tuples(IMHO)

You're not trilingual, as you also speak English :)

I agree. I notice that when I do imperative programming, I think through a sequence of steps, usually writing them down on paper if there is any complexity. When I "think in SQL" I read out the "from" and "where" clause in my head (or out loud). There is definitely a verbal element in my SQL thinking.

>As far as I know, people don't think in Python or C. I would say that a programming language is like math.

Are you saying people don't think in math? They definitely do

I think it'll exercise your brain when learning new programming languages that solve problems in different ways, building up your logical and critical thinking skills. But I think learning a new spoken language will exercise the brain more broadly since it's more complex.

Perhaps the ambiguity of natural languages is essential to them functioning as mental exercise though? There's a lot of alternatives to consider for phrasing and word-choice. In contrast, programming languages are very structured (by necessity).

I bet it does. Even using a different route on your commute has some positive effect on your brain. Switching mental gears always helps to exercise your brain.

Only if you use and learn a language in a different paradigm. There is pretty much zero benefit to learn Java if you already know C# or vice versa.

Probably not, most programming languages boil down to the same thing with different syntax.

The same could be said of natural languages. People spend a lot of time talking about similar things in every language.

not at all, most express different concepts. Of course there is overlap and you can get by using the same concept in different languages and ultimately they boil down to asm, but you need to think differently about the interpreter. It's the same with related natural languages.

Most mainstream imperative languages. SQL is a world apart form Java.

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