This paper by Grier, and an earlier one cited in it, establishes an etymology for the verb 'to program' (in the computer programming sense) in the ENIAC era, via industrial process engineer. Davis' "The Universal Computer" and Priestly's "A Science of Operations" both discuss the influence of logicians' (e.g. Hilbert) notion of a "formal language" on the notion of subsequent computer users/theorists. You might also look into the related terms "instruction" or "command", which have similarly strong anthropomorphic connotations.

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 5, 2014, at 4:13 AM, Marie Gevers <marie.gevers@unamur.be> wrote:

I wonder by whom and when the word 'language' was used for the first time in the framework of computer sciences.
Can anybody enlighten me?
Thanks in advance.

Marie
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Prof. Marie d'UDEKEM-GEVERS
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Faculté d'Informatique et
Centre d'Etudes Sciences et PHIlosophie à Namur (ESPHIN)
Centre de Recherche Information, Droit & Société (CRIDS)

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