itselflanguage

Itselflanguage is a theoretical construct used in discussions of self-reference in language and computation. It is not an established, widely implemented programming language, but a concept used in academic and educational contexts to explore how a language can describe or operate on its own code and statements.

The design emphasizes self-reference as a core feature. Programs written in itselflanguage are intended to be able to refer to their own source text or execution results, often via a small set of primitives for describing, quoting, or evaluating code. Semantics frequently invoke fixed-point ideas and self-application.

Typical syntax is deliberately minimal and abstract, allowing researchers to study the relationships between linguistic description and program behavior without being tied to a conventional syntax. Proposals often contrast it with languages that cannot meaningfully address their own implementation.

Usage and status: Itselflanguage remains a topic of theoretical exploration rather than a practical tool. Some educational materials present toy interpreters to illustrate self-reference, recursion, and the limits of self-description, but there is no formal standard or widely adopted implementation.

See also: self-reference, fixed-point theory, autology, Gödel, Escher, Bach; references in philosophy of language and programming languages.