If I am not mistaken, the argument made by papers like "C is not a low level language" is that C used to be a low level language, because it fit the architecture of a PDP, but a modern computer isn't a PDP, and so C isn't low level.
An intresting talk on Is Everything a File, IO Models, Is C a Low Level Language, and a quick comparison on Interfacing with USB devices on Mac OS, Linux and Windows.
If I am not mistaken, the argument made by papers like "C is not a low level language" is that C used to be a low level language, because it fit the architecture of a PDP, but a modern computer isn't a PDP, and so C isn't low level.