I have replied a linked-in question about the Pattern Languages and since it is a brief information, and people are interested more on this topic, I decided to paste here as well.
Pattern Languages are the combination of patterns which address the design coverage for specific (sub)domains. There are pattern languages for parallel programming, distributed computing, resource management and for some others. Nevertheless Pattern languages do not exist for all possible domains yet. A pattern language should cover all the design problems of the targeted domain. They include alternative pattern sequences for the specific areas of the domain. Therefore they are also very useful for reminding us of alternative solutions. Another benefit is to explore and learn the design space of the particular domain which may be new to us.
Here is my bibliography about pattern languages.
- Our Pattern Language (OPL) by Tim Mattson and Kurt Keutzer
- POSA Series / Pattern Oriented Software Architecture
- Stand-alone patterns (E.g. GoF)
- Pattern Complements
- Pattern Compounds
- Pattern Stories
- Pattern Sequences
- Pattern Languages
They are ordered by the density of design patterns.
Hope, I didn’t confuse you further by mentioning these other terms, but by knowing the existence of these, it may help gain a better understanding what pattern language isn’t.