Programming languages vary greatly in their ability to help you do your job. Your specific project or product goals will often dictate the appropriate language. The following guidelines are meant to be just that - guidelines, not gospel.
If your number one goal is portability, then use a language that has been demonstrated to be highly portable. If your number one goal is fast development, the use a language that aids in such fast development. If your primary goal is low maintenance, then use a language with many built-in, quality-inducing features. If your application requires a great use of character strings or complex data structures, select a language that supports them. If your product must be maintained by a group of existing maintainers who know language X, then use language X. Finally, if your customer says to use language Y then use language Y or you won't be in business long.
Reference:
McConnell, S., Code Complete, Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.
