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> ”… an exceptionally good mastery of one's native tongue …” Does that imply that one cannot be a competent programmer if working on an environment where the s
by soneca 3y ago
> ”… an exceptionally good mastery of one's native tongue …”
Does that imply that one cannot be a competent programmer if working on an environment where the spoken tongue is not their native one?
- ineptech 3y agoNo, I'm 90% certain both Dijkstra and OP meant that what's critical is mastery of any tongue. In context, he was talking about what makes someone good at programming, not about the need to contribute to a team or communicate ideas. https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/cs655/readings/ewd498.html https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/cs655/readings/ewd498.htm...
- jdbernard 3y agoI don't think so. I think the core of Djikstra's thought is that mastery of your native tongue coincides with strong communication skill and ability to logically organize and present thoughts. You can articulate your thoughts and do so in a way that others can understand. Working outside your native tongue may add hurdles, but from my experience having worked with brilliant people who's native tongue is not English, those hurdles can be overcome. The skills still translate.
- RugnirViking 3y agoPresumably the point is not the specific emphasis on your native tongue exactly, but rather a mastery beyond what might be regularly implied by mastery of a language (able to converse like a local) and rather mastery unique even among native speakers (able to convey ideas many different ways with a particular glibness that others can easily understand)