In the information systems field there are numerous programming languages that can be used in specifying the behavior of concurrent and distributed systems. In the literature it has been argued that a lack of pragmatic and semantic consideration decreases the effectiveness of such specifications. In other words, to simply understand the syntactic features of a programming language alone does not provide an adequate foundation for students, programmers and designers to learn or to create robust and efficient programs. As a result, this paper will present a fresh approach for both teaching and understanding programming languages. The approach presented in this paper uses semiotics as a theoretical lens for identifying the important issues that transcend syntax issues alone and creates an organized conceptual model that will force instructors to facilitate a deeper understanding of programming constructs to their students. (Contains 5 figures and 2 tables.)