smalltalk
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Smalltalk¹
Where it comes from
From small talk; according to Alan Kay (one of its creators):
The name actually appeared before the first Smalltalk design, which was done in 1971. I had mentioned to someone that the "prose" of then current programming languages was lower than a cocktail party conversation, and that great progress would have been made if we could even get to the level of making "smalltalk". It then occured^([sic]) to me that this word was also a great pun for a language aimed at the world of small children.
As for hype: Another motive for "smalltalk" was the practice at the time of naming operating, and other, systems (which hardly did anything) after mighty indo-european gods, such as Thor, Zeus, Odin, etc. I figured that if Smalltalk ever did something neat, then people would be pleasantly surprised.
proper noun
- An object-oriented, dynamically-typed, reflective programming language.
smalltalk²
noun
- Alternative form of small talk It’s a bit difficult making smalltalk with a teacher, especially when they have to crane their neck to look up at you.
Talk about this word "smalltalk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/smalltalk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. smalltalk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/smalltalk "smalltalk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/smalltalk.Cite this
@misc{smalltalk_2026,
title = {smalltalk},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/smalltalk},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
