But I’m also interested in small programming languages. ), have small core languages with very simple syntax and enormous expressive power and flexibility. Check out how small the core language is:I’ve got the printed book version of this document and it’s a thin book! Here’s the bullet from the slide to help you remember:I think small languages can also be fairly expressive, but only with very, very careful design. Libraries: Another easily overlooked aspect of a programming language’s apparent size is its "standard library" of functions, data structures, and methods.