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Concepts of Programming Languages, 12th edition

Published by Pearson (February 14, 2018) © 2019

  • Robert W. Sebesta University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

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For courses in computer programming.

Evaluate the fundamentals of contemporary computer programming languages

Concepts of Computer Programming Languages introduces students to the fundamental concepts of computer programming languages and provides them with the tools necessary to evaluate contemporary and future languages. Through a critical analysis of design issues, the text teaches students the essential differences between computing with specific languages, while the in-depth discussion of programming language structures also prepares them to study compiler design.

The 12th Edition includes new material on contemporary languages like Swift and Python, replacing discussions of outdated languages.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Valuable historical foundations that set out the origins, purposes and contributions of the most important languages discussed in the rest of the text are introduced early on.
  • In-depth discussions of the design issues faced by the early versions of relevant languages are presented in later chapters.
  • Critical evaluation of existing and future programming languages gives students the necessary tools for evaluating on their own.
  • An in-depth discussion of programming language structures, presenting a formal method of describing syntax and introducing approaches to lexical and syntax analysis, prepares students for the study of compiler design.
  • Coverage of advanced object-oriented topics and languages is integrated throughout.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: New material on Swift, a contemporary programming language, is now part of several chapters.
  • NEW: Section on Delphi is now included in Chapter 2.
  • NEW: Section on optional types is included in Chapter 6.
  • NEW and UPDATED: Content describing iterations in Python are part of Chapter 8.
  • UPDATED: Sections on outdated languages (specifically Lua and Objective-C) have been removed to ensure the material remains relevant to students.
  • UPDATED: Sections of Chapter 5 have been rewritten to improve and clarify the material.
  1. Preliminaries
  2. Evolution of the Major Programming Languages
  3. Describing Syntax and Semantics
  4. Lexical and Syntax Analysis
  5. Names, Bindings, and Scopes
  6. Data Types
  7. Expressions and Assignment Statements
  8. Statement-Level Control Structures
  9. Subprograms
  10. Implementing Subprograms
  11. Abstract Data Types and Encapsulation Constructs
  12. Support for Object-Oriented Programming
  13. Concurrency
  14. Exception Handling and Event Handling
  15. Functional Programming Languages
  16. Logic Programming Languages

About our author

Robert Sebesta is an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Computer Science Department at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Professor Sebesta received a BS in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado in Boulder and MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science from Pennsylvania State University. He has taught computer science for more than 40 years. His professional interests are the design and evaluation of programming languages and Web programming.

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