@mathie Andreas Stefik has researched programming language readability

https://web.cs.unlv.edu/stefika/publications.html

For example, they measured how easily novices could read:

- Several programming languages
- Quorum: the language their team is building
- Randomo: random syntax "designed" by rolling D&D dice

Findings:
- Languages in the C family are as hard for novices to learn to read as a randomly-designed language

- Ruby and Python are significantly easier

- Quorum is easier still