3. Assembly level languages (Second Generation programming language)

Assembly level languages (Second Generation programming language):

It’s a middle level and named as second generation programming language. It contains the same instruction as machine level language, but the instructions and the variables have specific name or called commands instead of being just binary numbers. It also uses symbols to describe field of instructions. Every aspect of machine variable in program, assembly language uses one statement per machine instruction. It managed explicitly all instruction like register allocation, call, stack, timer, jump, loop etc.

To understand the assembly language computer must require an assembler which takes a part in between assembly language and computer system to convert the assembly instructions into the machine language. This assembler is software or a set of program which translates assemble language programming instruction into the machine language. For example;

LOAD                    BASEPAY

ADD                       OVERPAY

STORE                  GROSSPAY

Advantages of Assembly language:

There have many advantage of assembly level language; some of them are listed below;

  • It is easily understood by human because it is uses statements instead of binary digits.
  • To develop a program, it takes less time.
  • Debugging and troubleshoot is easy due to easily find error.
  • It’s a portable language.

Disadvantages of Assembly language:

Some of the disadvantages of assembly level language are listed below;

  • It’s a machine dependent language due to that program design for one machine no use of other machine.
  • Sometime it’s hard to understand the statement or command use.