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Reference.org
APL syntax and symbols
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<p>The programming language <a href="/facts/APL_/E2sb98gC">APL</a> is distinctive in being <i>symbolic</i> rather than <i>lexical</i>: its primitives are denoted by <i>symbols</i>, not words. These symbols were originally devised as a <a href="/facts/Mathematical_notation/vHgEE8cE">mathematical notation</a> to describe algorithms. APL programmers often assign informal names when discussing functions and operators (for example, "product" for ×/) but the core functions and operators provided by the language are denoted by non-textual symbols. </p>