This is a topic I researched a long time ago. I don't trust my memory enough to summarize any findings or recommend specific papers, but here are a couple of bookmarks I've kept around:
If you're designing a programming language or programming tools, another resource that I've found helpful is this collection of syntax choices across languages:
- http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/teaching/1011/R201/
- http://www.ppig.org/
If you're designing a programming language or programming tools, another resource that I've found helpful is this collection of syntax choices across languages:
- http://rigaux.org/language-study/syntax-across-languages/