What is second-generation programming language and how does second-generation programming language work?

Answer 1

Second-generation programming language is a generational way to categorize assembly languages. The term was coined to provide a distinction from higher level third-generation programming languages (3GL) such as COBOL and earlier machine code languages. Second-generation programming languages have the following properties:

* The code can be read and written by a programmer. To run on a computer it must be converted into a machine readable form, a process called assembly.

* The language is specific to a particular processor family and environment.

Second-generation languages are sometimes used in kernels and device drivers (though C is generally employed for this in modern kernels), but more often find use in extremely intensive processing such as games, video editing, graphic manipulation/rendering.

One method for creating such code is by allowing a compiler to generate a machine-optimized assembly language version of a particular function. This code is then hand-tuned, gaining both the brute-force insight of the machine optimizing algorithm and the intuitive abilities of the human optimizer.

Answer 2

Historically there was no such thing as first or second generation languages until the advent of third generation hardware. All high-level languages that came after then became known as 3GL languages. However, the term was only used by marketing types and is really just a meaningless buzzword (as are the terms 4GL and 5GL that came later). All high-level languages that came before 3GL became known as 2GL languages while assembler was reflexively known as 1GL. However, later, all high-level languages became 3GL, while assembler became 2GL and machine code 1GL. Thus, today, the only example of a 2GL language is assembler.

Although terms such as 4GL and 5GL still exist today, few languages describe themselves generationally because they have no practical meaning, and never have. Although some attempts have been made to clarify the meaning, it's an exercise in futility; you cannot find meaning within the meaningless.

All languages are correctly classified by whether they are native, symbolic, declarative, imperative, functional, procedural, structured, object-oriented, domain-specific, etc, or a hybrid of two or more classifications.

Answer 3

Second generation programming languages were developed in the 1950s. They cover Assembly Language implementations for various computer architectures.