Of course there is only one proper language for "learning algorithms" and that is MIX. All others are just interpreters of it to make some parts easier.

Having said that you now must realize its making parts easier that distinguishs one language from another. When learning sometimes it is important to understand what the fundamentals really are rather than them being hidden from you by a language structure. I can build binary trees and linked lists via perls dynamic hash and array allocations. Doing it in assembler(C) with mallocs and hard pointers and getting it to work is another matter, then dealing with the memory fragmentation as they are released is a whole new can of worms. Sometimes it helps to see the underlying mess to truly appreciate what perl does for you under the covers.

Perl will work as well as just about any other general language for learning about algorithms at the macro level. It has features that you already recognized that can make some things easier. But to really learn the nuts and bolts nothing beats ASM, but dayum its a pain in ASM too. You dont have to understand how a mechanical watch works to wear a rolex, but to truly appreciate one you have to understand how difficult it is to create precision gears.