Interfacing Programming Language Semantics and Pragmatics: What Does “Hello, World” Mean?

In 1978, Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie insisted that the first program to write in a new language is one to print the words “hello, world.” From then until now, “hello, world” has frequently been the first exercise in introductory programming courses. On one hand, this does seem like a good fir...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophies (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 4; p. 86
Main Author: Sack, Warren
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2025
Subjects:
Analysis
C programming language
Computer supported cooperative work
Computers
Culture
institution
JavaScript
Libraries
monad
pragmatics
Programming languages
Semantics
speech act
User interface
Writing
United States
ISSN:2409-9287, 2409-9287
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In 1978, Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie insisted that the first program to write in a new language is one to print the words “hello, world.” From then until now, “hello, world” has frequently been the first exercise in introductory programming courses. On one hand, this does seem like a good first program because it makes something familiar—a greeting—appear on the screen. On the other hand, it is extremely strange. How can it be understood as a greeting? Who is greeting whom? Unfortunately, the bulk of formal means for defining programming languages provides very little help for assigning a meaning to the “hello, world” program. It is argued that the weakness of older theories and methods of programming language semantics is due to the historical, disciplinary segregation (in logic, semiotics, and linguistics) of semantics as a study apart from syntax and pragmatics. Drawing from both more recent work in programming language semantics that addresses side effects and on speech-act-based programming language design, this paper proposes a possible reintegration of semantics and pragmatics in order to better define the meaning of “hello, world” and the programming languages used to produce speech acts more generally.
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ISSN:2409-9287
2409-9287
DOI:10.3390/philosophies10040086