Chapter 3. Exploring the Syntax of Lisp Code

As you’ve learned so far, Lisp commands must be entered in a rather unorthodox way, with parentheses surrounding each command. In this chapter, we’ll explore why Lisp works this way.

To understand why any language—whether it’s a programming language or a human language—looks a certain way, we need to begin with two concepts from the field of linguistics: syntax and semantics.