Suggestion for Programming Languages

(sorry for the double post but I forgot to change the Subject heading on the
last one...again, sorry!)

Good Morning!

Hopefully some of you expert programmers ( I know you're there! :) will
have a few suggestions for me.

Here's the thing: I'm in a quandary as what to do about learning a
programming language.  As far as web presentation goes, I am *extremely* new
to every aspect of the game.  So far I've taken a beginner's Dreamweaver
class and the Introduction to HTML 4.0 offered at HWG.  On my own, I've
tackled Cascading Style Sheets, which I absolutely fell in love with, and
will pursue with a vengeance! Then, in an effort to reach beyond the
'beginner's level' of HTML, I've worked through several different HTML
manuals and online tutorials - and just this morning picked up a new manual
on the 4.1 standards.

So now I'm scheduled to take an Introduction course to JavaScript, beginning
early June, and want desperately to learn as much as I can about _a_
programming language before jumping right into Java Scripting - but which
one will be the best for me to learn?  Once I dedicate myself to leaning any
one particular programming language, I intend to stick with it so I want to
make sure that I'm making the right choice for the aims I have in mind for
myself.

Mainly I will be designing with CSS but will compensate my disadvantaged
patrons with 'easy access' entrance to alternative pages.  With that in
mind, is there any one programming language which would benefit me over
another?

Any recommendations on a language and the best manuals to begin with would
be utterly appreciated by me.

Thanks ever so much,

Judi

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