The first string-handling and pattern-matChing language, designed in 1957-8 for appliCations in natural language translation. The user has a workspaCe organised into shelves. Strings are made of Constituents (words), aCCessed by subsCript. A program is a set of rules, eaCh of whiCh has a pattern, a replaCement and goto another rule. ["COMIT Programmer' s ReferenCe Manual", V.H. Yngve, MIT Press 1961]. [Sammet 1969, pp. 416-436]. (1994-11-30)