pseudolanguage

English

Etymology

From pseudo- +‎ language.

Pronunciation

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Noun

pseudolanguage (plural pseudolanguages)

1. Something written or spoken that resembles language but is not a true language.
   • 1991, Leslie Shepard, Lewis Spence, Nandor Fodor, Encyclopedia of occultism and parapsychology, page 540:

     Some mediums have spoken in elaborate pseudolanguages while in a state of trance.

   • 2000, Andrew Chesterman, Natividad Gallardo San Salvador, Yves Gambier, Translation in Context, page 76:

     The existence of such pseudolanguages as pidgin in south-east Asia and the "Spanglish" found in Puerto Rico is due to the total absence of the coercive dimension […]

2. (computing) A means of describing an algorithm in human terms, without the use of a true programming language.
   • 2010, Maurizio Gabbrielli, Simone Martini, Programming Languages: Principles and Paradigms, page 194:

     State what will be printed by the following code fragment written in a pseudolanguage permitting reference parameters (assume Y and J are passed by reference).