What the nature of natural language tells us about how to make natural-language-like programming languages more natural

When a student is learning an algorithm from a textbook, his first approach is frequently through an English description. This is normally easier to understand than raw code, and sometimes easier than a flow chart, in spite of the fact that programming languages are designed for algorithm specification while English is only pressed into its service. If the English is easier to understand, it is likely that it has many features that would ease programming itself. This paper investigates some of these features.