A compiler supporting a language in which selected semantic objects are represented as data objects. The data objects may be used in multiple ways to expand the capabilities of the programming language. Data objects may be passed to applications and used to create executable instructions for that application. In this way, instructions written in the native language of the compiler may be used to control applications that accept programs in a language inconsistent with the native language of the compiler. The syntax checking and variable binding capabilities of the compiler may be used for those instructions that will be executed by an application separate from the object code generated by the compiler. The semantic objects represented as data objects may be selected based on express operations included in the source code or may be based on implicit type conversion.