The notion of metalanguage is used in two different areas. In the field of linguistics , the term refers to the language used to refer to another language , while in computing the concept refers to the language used to describe a programming language system .
As can be seen, beyond the differences given by the context, there is a great similarity between both definitions. Metalanguage is always a language (a mode of expression through a set of rules and signs) that speaks about another language (called object language within the framework of this relationship).
Sometimes, the metalanguage is the same as the object language: this happens, to cite one possibility, when English is used to refer to the same English . A metalanguage, on the other hand, can act as an object language in a different link.
Focusing on linguistics, metalanguage is the result of a function adopted by a natural language . The linguistic code, in this way, is taken as the object of the expressed statement. In other words: metalanguage is a language that is used to describe language .
Consider the sentence “Exit is an irregular verb.” In this case, the verb "exit" is used with a metalinguistic function , since it describes linguistic properties. There is a use, therefore, of metalanguage.
Other types of metalanguage are the syntax models used to describe grammar; A clear example of this is generative grammar , a series of theoretical frameworks that allow the study of the syntax of languages, through various principles or rules that help to correctly predict the combinations that can appear in a correct sentence from a given point. grammatical, for a given language.
The term metavariable is defined as a symbol or several in a chain that serve to represent certain elements of an object language. They belong to the metalanguage and can be seen in the following example sentence: "If A and B are two prepositional verbs, then C is not." Here we have three metavariables expressed through the use of letters that represent verbs of different types.
It is important to respect the meaning of the same variable within its context, that is, not to use it for another purpose until the speech is over. In the field of education, both for children and adults, the use of metalanguage and metavariables is almost essential in many subjects, since they allow a certain degree of abstraction, necessary to establish knowledge in a general way.
In many cases, we use the resource of metalanguage without realizing that we generate potential confusion in the interlocutor, as can be seen in the following sentence: «Acute is any word that is stressed on its last syllable. But "acute" is not acute . In this confusing example, when the word is enclosed in quotes it is mentioned while in the other, it is used .
This responds to the so-called distinction between use and mention belonging to the fields of logic , grammar and philosophy. When a word is used , it refers to the object of its meaning; When it is mentioned, however, it is nothing more than an entry in a dictionary, framed in one or more classifications but without a representation in the real world.
In the case of proper names it is easy to distinguish the use ( "Peter will come to dinner tonight" ) from the mention ( "The word "Peter" has five letters" ).
In computing, a metalanguage is used to say something about another language. An example is XML , a metalanguage that defines languages such as MathML and XHTML according to needs.