Should a programming language be small or large? A small programming language might take but a short time to learn. A large programming language may take a long, long time to learn, but then it is less hard to use, for we have a lot of words at hand – or, I should say, at the tips of our tongues – to use at the drop of a hat. If we start with a small language, then in most cases we can not say much at the start. We must first define more words; then we can speak of the main thing that is on our mind.