According to Wikipedia, <<a Markup Language is a system for annotating a text in a way which is syntactically distinguishable from that text>>. Markup texts contain specifications on the text with regards to the code for formatting; the way the content is presented, and not only the information itself.
A kind of Markup languages has been used long before computers were created: the “markup men” or “copy markers” used to add handwritten anotations in the text with a blue pencil so as to make clear how it had to be written. This short indications referred to the typeface, style and size that had to be applied to each part of the text.
The best-known example of Markup language is Hypertext (HTML= HyperTextMarkup Language), which is the predominant markup language for web pages.
In the image, an example of markup text.
Markup language has been proved to offer lots of utilities in different fields. For example, in music: it can be used to “describe” music in a digital language. Music Markup Language (MML) can show its notation and also how it should be performed (as in the normal text ML indicates how it should be written).
REFERENCES
- Markup language. (2009, October 20). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:26, October 24, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Markup_language&oldid=339363012
- Markup language (2007, June 26). In Webopedia. Retrieved 17:33, October 24, 2009, from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/m/markup_language.html
- HTML. (2009, October 23). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:27, October 24, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HTML&oldid=340497943
- Music Markup Language (2000). Retrieved 18:24, October 24, 2009, from http://www.musicmarkup.info/
