Programming languages are like human languages in many respects. They all have a common 'vocabulary', but different syntax and so on.
What I suggest for a person that wants to learn a programming language is PHP. It is flexible, powerful, extensible, and above all C-like. Please note that I wrote C-like and not C-alike lol! PHP is a LOT more forgiving than C is, but it is a good way to start and it will definitely ease your transition to C.
After PHP, as you may have already understood, I propose C and then, if you want, C++.
I also strongly recommend picking up markup languages, starting from (X)HMTL and then going all the way up to XML. Also learn some CSS...
Others will probably recommend Perl. I don't, but that is a matter of opinion I suppose.
Just my 2 cents
[ December 29, 2003: Message edited by: Panos ]