Reduction of Compilation Costs Through Language Contraction Programming languages tailored to particular groups of users can often be constructed by removing unwanted features from a general purpose language. This paper describes the use of simulation techniques to predict the savings in compilation cost achievable by such an approach. The results suggest a function which describes the effect of changes in the power of a language on the compilation cost of an algorithm expressed in that language: when features not actually used by the algorithm are removed from the language, the cost of compiling the algorithm decreases moderately, but when features that are needed are removed, the compilation cost increases sharply. CACM May, 1974 Shaw, M. design of programming languages, language contraction, compiler design, compilation cost, Algol 4.12 4.20 CA740501 JB January 17, 1978 4:39 PM 1086 4 2652 1132 4 2652 1234 4 2652 1263 4 2652 1265 4 2652 1270 4 2652 1323 4 2652 1358 4 2652 1379 4 2652 1380 4 2652 1453 4 2652 1464 4 2652 1484 4 2652 1491 4 2652 1498 4 2652 1613 4 2652 1614 4 2652 1781 4 2652 1825 4 2652 1860 4 2652 2083 4 2652 2178 4 2652 2179 4 2652 2252 4 2652 2325 4 2652 2341 4 2652 2546 4 2652 2645 4 2652 2652 4 2652 2684 4 2652 2842 4 2652 2929 4 2652 2934 4 2652 3069 4 2652 669 4 2652 679 4 2652 691 4 2652 761 4 2652 949 4 2652 989 4 2652 2652 5 2652 2652 5 2652 2652 5 2652 3184 5 2652