Programming Language
A programming language is a formal language for telling a computer exactly what to do — precise enough that a machine can follow it with no guessing. Beneath the thousands of languages that exist, almost all share the same few building blocks. Variables name and store values. Functions package a chunk of work so it can be reused. Control flow decides which code runs and how often. And types describe what kind of value you're dealing with. Learn those four and you can read most languages; the rest is syntax and vocabulary. Code is usually turned into something the machine runs by a compiler or interpreter.
Drill down
Variables & Assignment
A named box that holds a value; assignment is the act of putting a value into it.
Functions
A reusable, named piece of work — you give it inputs (arguments), it runs, and it hands back a result.
Control Flow
How a program decides which code runs, and how often — branches and loops.
Types
What kind of value something is — a number, text, a true/false — and what you're allowed to do with it.
Related concepts
Related docs
hierarchy prerequisite related