Question

For example (in C):

int break = 1;
int for = 2;

Why will the compiler have any problems at all in deducing that break and for are variables here?

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So, we need keywords because

• we want the programs to be readable
• we do not want to over-complicate the job of already complex compilers of today
• but most importantly, a language is lot more powerful if some ‘key’words are reserved for some special actions. Then, the language can think of being useful at a higher level rather than dying in trying to implement a for loop in an unambiguous way.

Answer 1

Then what will the computer do when it comes across a statement like:

while(1) {
  ...
  if (condition)
    break;
}

Should it actually break? Or should it treat it as 1;?

The language would become ambiguous in certain cases, or you’d have to create a very smart parser that can infer subtle syntax, and that’s just unnecessary extra work.