I'd agree - and I'm not sure it's even possible to have a language with every feature. Languages are about telling computers[1] what to do - at the right level

I'd agree - and I'm not sure it's even possible to have a language with every feature. Languages are about telling computers[1] what to do - at the right level of abstraction for the task in hand. As far as I can see ( as an outsider ) is the trick in language design, is not the programmer ergonomics per se - but creating a set of abstractions ( expressed as language features ) that can then be converted into machine code in a way that's some best combination of reliable, safe and fast. [1] Not directly, but indirectly via compilers or interpreters.