Abstract
Three classes of the so-called natural languages for communication with data bases are defined:English-like, pseudo-English, andsimple-English. It is argued that English-like and pseudo-English languages are normally more difficult to learn and use than artificial programming languages with no overt claim to English likeness. Simple-English is presented as a family of languages in which many restrictions (which hamper learning) are removed through interaction with, and drawing inferences from, the data base and the underlying system. It is concluded, however, that English likeness and ease of learning may be contradictory notions.
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Moyne, J.A. Simple-english for data base communication. International Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 6, 327–343 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998326
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998326