Asklemmy

Both. They're not particularly related or similar. But through naming, comments, and docs they're connected for a common means.

I enjoy formulating in a concise, precise way. I like wordplay. I'm interested in different human languages. I'm familiar with several "computer" languages.

Languages encode meaning. Data formats, specifications and descriptions formalize rules. Human languages have rules too, but they are much more dynamic, diffuse and changing.

That's interesting, they're two of my biggest interests. I wonder if this is true for a lot of other people.

I'm interested in programming language theory but not as much in linguistics. There is some interesting overlap though. I think I like PLT because it is prescriptive, unambiguous and clear; whereas linguistics is an attempt to describe natural language, but has areas that are ambiguous and less clear (invisible green dragons sleep furiously, for one). This impedence mismatch is probably why natural language processing is such a difficult problem in computer science and why we tend to rely on AI for it.

Chomsky's work in linguistics and grammars was incredibly important for computational parsing, be it source code or anything else. The Chomsky hierarchy (depicted and linked below) is important for developers writing parsers to know, because each category of grammar has different performance characteristics.

I have interest in both types, but it is not like they are correlated. Computer languages are more logical and human languages are more abstract.

I write code in a bunch of different languages without breaking a sweat, but the human spoken language has always been a mystery to me. I can barely handle one language, I've tried learning two others and failed miserably except for a very small handful of words.

Just computer languages for me - I am absolutely horrible with any spoken language besides my native tongue nor do they interest me. Meanwhile picking up new computer languages, libraries, and frameworks is a blast

I'm kinda interested in both, but mostly coding because linguistics often involves humans

For me it's both.

Language interest came from hearing my grandparents speak another language as a child, and coding from exploring early windows/dos and seeing what computers could do. Both are fueled by a curiosity and desire to know more so I'd say they're only loosely connected in that way.

Both are fascinating to me. I have also met a lot of people who are interested in both. I don't think it's a coincidence. There's something really interesting about the way we can use symbols and signifiers to encode and transmit and preserve information. Any kind of information.

Coding requires you to say precisely what you mean. Give clear instructions. Define exactly the pieces you are working with. There is really no room for ambiguity, and there's something really satisfying to the logical side of my brain about that kind of rigidity.

But that's exactly why linguistics is interesting to the other side of my brain. Human language is full of fuzzy categories, changing definitions, unwritten rules, unspoken connotations, creative repurposing, borrowing, taboos... You can add dimensions of meaning with text, your voice, your eyes, the movement of your body. You can pack so much nuance into a single word or phrase; a subtle hint can mean so much more than what you are literally saying. You can intentionally encode a message so that it is NOT understood. There is infinite malleability in human language.

This is why it's so exciting to see such progress in natural language processing. Large language models kind of blur the lines and begin to "understand" and respond to the ambiguities of the way we use language (at least in a kind of probabilistic sense). But they are also learning our programming languages. Right now, we can converse with AI models that can write (basic) code for us and with us, and make changes based on our conversational language. Imagine one day programming in plain language without that intermediary step!

I have an interest in both and i do think those two interests are related for me.

Yes, i speak portuguese, english, python, c, and gdscript, i'm also learning french

I wish. I speak spanish natively and english to a level I will codeswitch, very inconvenient among the older generation. I also learnt italian up to a B1 (and pass as italian, if the amount of people asking where from italy I'm from is any indication) and have a passing knowledge of german, enough to grasp the meaning of anything written down, as long as it's not too complex.

Coding wise? Unless you consider html, css, and rudimentary knowledge of javascript coding, I'm not computer fluent.

I have to many computer languages in my head, I'm terrible at even English😄

Seriously though, I think in code. My wife tells me it's weird. I have a hard time with human languages.

I code in a few languages and I've always wanted to know more than one "human" language but efforts in that area have more or less consistently failed (exception being Esperanto because that's easy, but since hardly anyone speaks it it's not exactly useful).

Despite my interest in both I doubt there's much of a correlation when you look at programmers (or polyglots) as a group, though. For all we call all of these things "languages" there's a pretty big distinction and difference in complexity and approach between the computer and human ones, it's a whole different hobby.

I'd compare coding more to other hobbies that involve making things. I knit a jumper, I develop a video game...scratches same itch.

Or possibly problem-solving hobbies. I work out how to adjust a sewing pattern to fit, I solve a tricksy sudoku...again same itch.

I like both! But it never occurred to me that there's correlation

I'm interested in Linguistics. Not deeply interested on the sets of instructions used by computers, although I know a bit of bash (does it count?).

I think that "programming languages" is at most an overused, overextended metaphor. It's on the same level as saying that a language is "alive" - sure, you can get a few interesting outcomes from the metaphor, but you need to remember that metaphors become mushy once pulled and pushed hard enough.

I program in multiple computer languages, and I speak two human languages. I find them completely different skillsets for entirely different purposes.

They are both of interest but for completely different and unrelated reasons.

Both. I don't think they're particularly related to me. One is more like a puzzle, the other one interests me more in terms of finding meaning and common origins in words from different languages. I also enjoy getting pronunciation right in foreign languages.

Also both for me ! (even subscribed to programmer_humor and also linguistics_humor here on Lemmy)

Story time:
When I was at school, I hated languages (as a native French, English was a PAIN for me), but already was programming for fun outside school. Since I finished school, I grown interest in linguistics as well. I think for me it's more because manga and animes, and because I am curious, so I wanted to understand all the little parts in texts... So I learned Japanse, then improved my English... then went curious about chinese... Spanish... And at this point, I don't even learn new languages (too much time), I only searched for differences, construction and all; and that is where I discovered Linguistics basically.

Difference between human & computer language:
I heard that part of the brain that process Human language and Computer language is the same, that may be the reason, idk

They seems to be really different though, you don't "Speak" or write a computer program like you write a text or a poem, it's a totally different thinking process. The same way, you never read code from top to bottom left to right (reason why unindented code is AWFUL to read), it's more about looking around what's going on, to understand what the whole is doing. Sentences are way less dependent on the context (and WAYYYYY less dependent on what follows) to understand them.

But in a way, with time, we lean patterns, and know to recognize them (both in human and computer language), that may be the reason why they are both on the same part of the brain

From ASM till Python I know a godless unhealthy amount of languages, design pattern, principles etc but I suck at languages, sometimes I can't even speak my mother tounge fluent.

I speak English, Portuguese and German fluently. I have pretty decent knowledge of French, and can understand a good deal of Spanish. I am also able to read Arabic. I like learning languages, and I like comparing the intricacies between languages, though I wouldn't say I'm interested in linguistics.

When it comes to programming, I know C++, python and rust. I don't think there is a correlation to liking languages and programming languages, they are very different.

I'm interested in both! I program in Python, and I'm trying to get more into linguistics.

Computer languages are just so straight to the point. If something goes wrong, it's your fault for not specifying. It's beautiful that way. I also love the problem-solving involved.

Human language is the complete opposite and I love it for that too. It's full of ambiguity, and so many words seem related to each other - but with their own little nuances. If you say a certain word, it may have synonyms but most synonyms can't give that exact meaning that a certain word gives. There are also soo many undertones you can say with a certain word. Once, my friend accidentally said 'denigration' instead of 'desegregation' (in context to black people and white people) which I found really interesting considering 'denigration' was derived from the Latin word for 'black' (the n-word) and meant 'to get rid of the bad things', therefore associating black with bad.

Do they seem related? I dunno. I just love patterns and I love how languages convey meaning, whether computer or human.

Both! I have traveled internationally and always try to learn enough of the local language to at least show some respect for people's cultures. If I were to pursue an advanced degree and didn't care about money, it would be in linguistics. I also use or have used a lot of computer languages, so maybe that's it, it's not just programming, it's collecting more ways to express yourself.

Mostly human languages since humans have a harder time understanding the words coming out of my mouth.

I'm interested in linguistics in a linguistic way. Languages tell something about a culture. For examply by what subjects have many words and which don't. Or how seperated ranks in society are by the amount of (used) formality forms. The level of directness might corolate to the level of pragmatism. What foreign influence there is can be partly seen by loanwords and writing symbols. Etc. Etc.

But computer languages are hardly linguistic, most of them are just English in a specific syntax. I love computers, but they interest me in a technical way. Even the best AI relies on switches turning off and on, yes and no's, 1's and 0's. It's black and white logical mathmatics. In the end, programming languages are little more than "the creator thought this was a good way to handle which switches should go on and off", and you just use what's most practical for your use-case. That is, quantum computers aside, but even those are similar in that really. Just more complex.

I enjoy learning and using both. What I like most I think is seeing the wide range of solutions that people and cultures have come up with for communicating abstract ideas (both spoken and programming languages). I'm a native English speaker and I remember how my mind was blown when I learned that Chinese characters convey meaning rather than sounds, so that speakers of different dialects could still understand each other's writing, even if they couldn't understand each other's speech. Similar feeling when I studied functional programming after using nothing but procedural/OOP for most of my life.

i fucking love linguistics and phonetics but i can’t code for the life of me

See I've never had a problem understanding the basics of multiple programming languages (though I do need to get more general experience with some of them, such as Rust) - but spoken languages? I had a hell of a hard time with even Spanish in high school. My teacher had recommended me for AP Spanish 2, because I was "far better than everyone else in the class" but in reality I just actually turned in my assignments and put in effort, whereas most of the others didn't... that didn't mean I was actually good at Spanish though.

I've always loved the idea of learning other languages, but its just never worked out for me. That being said, learning ASL has been on my todo list for a very long time. I was in my middle school's sign language club, but it was sadly cancelled after a few weeks due to lack of participation, and never opened up again which was a shame. I feel I have some chance of learning sign language, and I can still sign the alphabet pretty fluently. I think I even remember a few words!

I like both. I know a few human languages fluently and I’m also interested in learning new programming languages, even if they end up not being very useful for me in the end.