There are many ways to answer this question. Are you interested in syntax? end user experience? compiler/interpreter implementations? portability? technical resources and support?

To answer this question well one needs to take into account a variety of perspectives. Googling is a great way to get essays covering all these different questions (be sure to check links beyond the first few google hits so you get a true range of opinions).

In case you had trouble thinking of good search terms, here is a link with some fruitful search terms: compare perl to C

Best, beth