Technology Fundamentals
Markup Language
Definition
A markup language is a system for annotating a document in a way that is syntactically distinguishable from the text. It uses tags to define the structure, formatting, or relationship between parts of a document.
Why It Matters
Markup languages are the foundation of how documents are structured and displayed on the web and elsewhere. They separate the content of a document from its presentation.
Contextual Example
HTML is the most well-known markup language. The tag `<p>This is a paragraph.</p>` tells the browser to display the text as a paragraph, without dictating the exact font or color.
Common Misunderstandings
- Markup languages like HTML are not programming languages. They describe structure and content, but do not have logic like loops or conditionals.
- XML is a meta-language used to create other markup languages.