Computer programmers use artificial languages, known as programming languages, to write the instructions that tell computers what to do. Programming languages have evolved over time to become more like the natural languages that human beings speak. The evolution from machine language to fifth-generation language is as below.

Levels of Programming Language:

First Generation Programming Language: The first generation of programming language, or 1GL, is machine language. Machine language is a set of instructions and data that a computer's central processing unit can execute directly. Machine language statements are written in binary code, and each statement corresponds to one machine action.
Second Generation Programming Language: The second-generation programming language, or 2GL, is assembly language. Assembly language is the human-readable notation for the machine language used to control specific computer operations. An assembly language programmer writes instructions using symbolic instruction codes that are meaningful abbreviations or mnemonics. An assembler is a program that translates assembly language into machine language.

Third Generation Programming Language: The third generation of programming language, 3GL, or procedural language uses a series of English-like words, which are closer to human language, to write instructions. High-level programming languages make complex programming simpler and easier to read, write, and maintain. Programs written in a high-level programming language must be translated into machine language by a compiler or interpreter. PASCAL, FORTRAN, BASIC, COBOL, C, and C are examples of third-generation programming languages.

Fourth Generation Programming Language: The fourth-generation programming language or non-procedural language, often abbreviated as 4GL, enables users to access data in a database. A very high-level programming language is often referred to as a goal-oriented programming language because it is usually limited to a very specific application and it might use syntax that is never used in other programming languages. SQL, NOMAD, and FOCUS are examples of fourth-generation programming languages.

Fifth Generation Programming Language: The fifth-generation programming language or visual programming language, is also known as natural language. Provides a visual or graphical interface, called a visual programming environment, for creating source codes. Fifth-generation programming allows people to interact with computers without needing any specialized knowledge. People can talk to computers and voice recognition systems can convert spoken sounds into written words. Prolog and Mercury are the best known fifth-generation languages.