Re: Fix UK spelling in comments and ChangeLog entries?

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hi, Lennart!

On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 03:33:35PM +0200, Lennart Borgman (gmail) wrote:
> Alan Mackenzie wrote:
> >Hi, Kenichi,

> >On Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 09:16:25PM +0900, Kenichi Handa wrote:

> >>Anyway, for me (a non native English speeker), the more helpful thing
> >>is to standardise which word to use (e.g. remove/delete,
> >>replace/substitute, accept/permit/allow, preserve/retain,
> >>put/set/store, property/attribute, vector/array, go-to/move-to,
> >>cancel/undo, etc.) :-p

> >NO!!  Different words have different meanings.  For example, if you
> >delete something, it's gone.  If you remove something, you can later
> >put it back again.

> >You might substitute a fresh football player for a tired one, but
> >you'd replace a broken light bulb (answer, it only takes one Emacs
> >hacker to change a light bulb).

> >And so on.

> >There a few pairs of words indeed in English in which one means
> >exactly the same as the other.  It is surely the same in other
> >languages.  Let us strive, always, to use the most fitting word, and
> >to preserve and retain the fine control this gives us over our
> >meanings.

> That is nice. For some non native English speakers it would be good to
> have a document describing those small differences.

It would be for many native English speakers, too, particularly for
politicians and bureaucrats.  Sadly, there isn't one, at least, not a
comprehensive one.  If you're interested enough, find a copy of "Fowler's
Modern English Usage", preferably the second or first edition.  It's a
classic.

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).