[nightski]

It's not syntax, it is semantics. There is a lot to programming language theory/design and this is all formalized. C does not have the semantics you are describing in the formal specifications (C99, etc..). Could they have developed a version of C with these semantics? Possibly. Rust was a step in that direction with it's borrow checker.

[dahfizz]

Yes, and my whole point is that assembly does not have those semantics either. The computer is an imperative machine.

[TuringTest]

The computer is not an imperative machine. It's a physical machine that you describe with an imperative representation in your mind. Can you tell the difference, or are you unaware of the map-territory distinction going on?

Functional programmers are simply choosing to use a different style of map, but we both represent the same reality.

[dehrmann]

According to Wikipedia, "the hardware implementation of almost all computers is imperative."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperative_programming

[TuringTest]

[Citation needed]