From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: David Kastrup Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: English usage bug in bytecomp.el Date: Tue, 08 Mar 2005 11:33:11 +0100 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1110278339 18229 80.91.229.2 (8 Mar 2005 10:38:59 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 10:38:59 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Alan Mackenzie , emacs-devel@gnu.org, miles@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Mar 08 11:38:58 2005 Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8c72-0001Wt-3c for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 11:38:52 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8cLU-0007tl-2P for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:53:48 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D8cG5-0006mL-Cj for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:48:13 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D8cG0-0006l9-9i for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:48:11 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8cFw-0006iV-Eb for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:48:04 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.164] (helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1D8c1X-0005iy-RZ for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:33:11 -0500 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lola.goethe.zz) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1D8c1W-0004qO-WA; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:33:11 -0500 Original-To: snogglethorpe@gmail.com In-Reply-To: (Miles Bader's message of "Tue, 8 Mar 2005 18:57:31 +0900") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.50 (gnu/linux) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org X-MailScanner-To: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:34320 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:34320 Miles Bader writes: > On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 08:02:35 +0000 (GMT), Alan Mackenzie wrote: >> [Discussion of "`foo' is an obsolete function since 21.4;"] >> >> >I think "is ... since" is pretty common usage actually, and certainly >> >makes sense. >> >> >> >> Yes, it does make sense and it is regrettably common usage, but it is >> WRONG. It is something that a native English speaker would never say. >> In this case, it is just as easy to be correct. > > Hmm, I'm a native English speaker (and I certainly appreciate fine > language), but I don't mind this at all. It simply doesn't register > very high on the "feels wrong" scale, though it does a little. > > I also agree with Nick that the "correct" form is less clear (and > requires a funny little twiddly bit in the code). > > However, a variant which might be even clearer, and maybe less > objectionable would be "FOO is an obsolete function (since 21.4)". This does not help really. If my language sensors are correct, a non-objectionable phrasing might be "As of 21.4, Foo is an obsolete function." But I still don't see that "has been" is something that even a non-native speaker has any possibility of avoiding to see quite a lot, anyhow. -- David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum