A
third generation language (
3GL) is a
programming language designed to be easier for a human to understand, including things like named variables.
A fragment might be
let c = c + 2 * d
Fortran, ALGOL and COBOL are early examples of this sort of language.
Most "modern" languages (BASIC, C, C++) are third generation.
Most 3GLs support structured programming.
Based on material from FOLDOC, used with permission.