C Language, Spoken C questions

Amittai Avira
#1 / 25

Spoken C questions

O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions, such as
strcpy, strtok, etc.? Does one say "stringcopy," or "stircopy," or
"sterc-pee"? Does one say "string character" for strchr() and "string R
character" for strrchr()? Does one say "string span" for strspn()? Or
"stir spin"? How especially does one utter the name of strpbrk() out loud?

2. What does strpbrk() actually stand for? It looks as if it meant "string
paragraph break," though I do not know why it would be considered a
paragraph.

Generally, I can imagine how to pronounce most other functions, so long as I
mix letter names with words -- fopen() as "F-open," etc.

Thanks! :-)

Amittai

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 09:47:03 GMT

Tom St Deni
#2 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
> bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

> 1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions, such
as
> strcpy, strtok, etc.? Does one say "stringcopy," or "stircopy," or
> "sterc-pee"? Does one say "string character" for strchr() and "string R
> character" for strrchr()? Does one say "string span" for strspn()? Or
> "stir spin"? How especially does one utter the name of strpbrk() out

loud?

"strcpy" I say as "stir-copy" [as in stir a drink]
"strlen" as "stir-len" [etc...]

"memcpy" easily as "mem-copy"

"malloc" as "mal-lock"
"alloc" as "allock"

Quote:

> 2. What does strpbrk() actually stand for? It looks as if it meant
"string
> paragraph break," though I do not know why it would be considered a
> paragraph.

I dunno about strpbrk()...

Quote:

> Generally, I can imagine how to pronounce most other functions, so long as
I
> mix letter names with words -- fopen() as "F-open," etc.

"fopen" as you said "f-open", same with fwrite, fread, fflush, etc...

Tom

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 09:54:34 GMT

Gregory Pietsc
#3 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> > 2. What does strpbrk() actually stand for? It looks as if it meant
> "string
> > paragraph break," though I do not know why it would be considered a
> > paragraph.

> I dunno about strpbrk()...

I heard it as "string-pointer-to-break".

Gregory Pietsch

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 12:06:41 GMT

Tom St Deni
#4 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> > > 2. What does strpbrk() actually stand for? It looks as if it meant
> > "string
> > > paragraph break," though I do not know why it would be considered a
> > > paragraph.

> > I dunno about strpbrk()...

> I heard it as "string-pointer-to-break".

I'd say "stir-pee-break" ... of course I've never used that function in my
normal coding efforts.

Tom

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 12:11:35 GMT

Robert B. Clar
#5 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

>O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
>bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

>1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions, such as
>strcpy, strtok, etc.? Does one say "stringcopy," or "stircopy," or
>"sterc-pee"? Does one say "string character" for strchr() and "string R
>character" for strrchr()? Does one say "string span" for strspn()? Or
>"stir spin"? How especially does one utter the name of strpbrk() out loud?

strcpy STIR-copy
strtok STIR-tok
strspn STIR-spin
strrchr STIR-chir
strchr STIR-chir (as they say, context is all)
strpbrk STRIP-break
strcmp STIR-comp
strcoll STIR-coll
strftime STIR-f-time
strcat STIR-cat
strcspn STIR-c-span (yes, as in the cable TV channel)
char CHAR (as in a charred piece of wood)
char * CHAR pointer

Quote:

>2. What does strpbrk() actually stand for? It looks as if it meant "string
>paragraph break," though I do not know why it would be considered a
>paragraph.

I do not know.

I hardly use it, save sometimes for command line switch processing.

Quote:

>Generally, I can imagine how to pronounce most other functions, so long as I
>mix letter names with words -- fopen() as "F-open," etc.

I do the same--F-open, F-write, F-troop....

Actually, the latter is not ANSI/ISO C.

--
Robert B. Clark
Visit ClarkWehyr Enterprises On-Line at http://home.earthlink.net/~rclark31/ClarkWehyr.html

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 12:11:56 GMT

Ben Pfaf
#6 / 25

Spoken C questions

writes: | I respond:
|

Quote:

|
[snippage] |

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 12:16:44 GMT

David Rubi
#7 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> 1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions, such as
> strcpy [...] Does one say "stringcopy," or "stircopy," or "sterc-pee"?

That's good! I think I'll start saying "sterc-pee" :-) Or maybe "strec-pee..."

Quote:

> Does one say [...] "string R character" for strrchr()?

How about "stir'-er-ker"? Or stir-archer?

Quote:

> Does one say "string span" for strspn()?

I like plain stir-spn, like turban; swallow the 'a'.

Quote:

> [...] How especially does one utter the name of strpbrk() out loud?

This one is never spoken out loud. Just point and grunt.

Quote:

> 2. What does strpbrk() actually stand for? It looks as if it meant "string
> paragraph break," though I do not know why it would be considered a
> paragraph.

Something to do with strings, pointers, and breaking (as in stopping).

david

--
If 91 were prime, it would be a counterexample to your conjecture.
-- Bruce Wheeler

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 08:24:22 GMT

Russ Bobbi
#8 / 25

Spoken C questions

On Tue, 8 Jan 2002 20:47:03 -0500, "Amittai Aviram"

Quote:

>O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
>bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

>1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions, such as
>strcpy, strtok, etc.? Does one say "stringcopy," or "stircopy," or
>"sterc-pee"? Does one say "string character" for strchr() and "string R
>character" for strrchr()? Does one say "string span" for strspn()? Or
>"stir spin"?

To myself I use shorter forms: (stircopy (strcpy) , stircur (strchr)
strspan (strspn). To others, I tend to use longer forms: ("string
copy", "string char", "string span").

Quote:

> How especially does one utter the name of strpbrk() out loud?

I just grunt and hope that I'm understood.

Quote:

>2. What does strpbrk() actually stand for? It looks as if it meant "string
>paragraph break," though I do not know why it would be considered a
>paragraph.

I think it's broken down like this:

str = member of the string library
p = the pointer that it returns
brk = the "break" character in the second argument p points to.

Russ

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 12:30:16 GMT

Peter Nilss
#9 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
> bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

> 1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions...

Since half of all Linux users can't pronounce the name of their system
properly, you're not likely to get definitive responses to your
question! ;)

--
Peter

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 13:54:15 GMT

Ra
#10 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
> bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

> 1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions, such as
> strcpy, strtok, etc.? Does one say "stringcopy," or "stircopy," or
> "sterc-pee"? Does one say "string character" for strchr() and "string R

Well that one sounds {*filter*} to me ;-)

OK, this question reminds me of the days, when I used to teach java,
where I, just to stir up some fun, said "javack" guess for what, yes
for JAVAC, which others would generally pronounce as "java c".

I think, it's a matter of personal taste, although I'd prefer,
string-*, as well as file-*, as they are more clear (and less
{*filter*}??)

This should expain what "strpbrk" stands for:
This function returns a pointer to the first occurrence of a character
in string [strp] that belongs [b] to the set of characters[r] in
strCharSet [set k???]. [ripped from MSDN]

Hope you're answered.

Later
Raj

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 15:13:02 GMT

Ben Pfaf
#11 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> OK, this question reminds me of the days, when I used to teach java,
> where I, just to stir up some fun, said "javack" guess for what, yes
> for JAVAC, which others would generally pronounce as "java c".

I usually call `javac' something not utterable in polite company.

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 15:14:16 GMT

k..
#12 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
> bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

> 1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions, such as
> strcpy, strtok, etc.?

I pronounce them "as written" with enough grunty vowel sounds to make that
possible.

struh-cupy (with the u shorter than the one in "cup"), struh-tok.

Quote:

> Does one say "stringcopy," or "stircopy," or
> "sterc-pee"? Does one say "string character" for strchr() and "string R
> character" for strrchr()? Does one say "string span" for strspn()? Or
> "stir spin"? How especially does one utter the name of strpbrk() out loud?

struh-chur, str-uhr-chur, struh-spuhn, struhp-bruk.

Quote:

> Generally, I can imagine how to pronounce most other functions, so long as I
> mix letter names with words -- fopen() as "F-open," etc.

fohw-pen.

--
Kriss Doll-in
C FAQs at: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/comp/comp.lang.c.html

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 17:02:29 GMT

Micah Cowa
#13 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> > > > 2. What does strpbrk() actually stand for? It looks as if it meant
> > > "string
> > > > paragraph break," though I do not know why it would be considered a
> > > > paragraph.

> > > I dunno about strpbrk()...

> > I heard it as "string-pointer-to-break".

> I'd say "stir-pee-break" ... of course I've never used that function in my
> normal coding efforts.

Stir-puh-birk or Stirrup-birk have nice rings to 'em... :)

Micah

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 18:23:48 GMT

Micah Cowa
#14 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> >O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
> >bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

> >1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions, such as
> >strcpy, strtok, etc.? Does one say "stringcopy," or "stircopy," or
> >"sterc-pee"? Does one say "string character" for strchr() and "string R
> >character" for strrchr()? Does one say "string span" for strspn()? Or
> >"stir spin"? How especially does one utter the name of strpbrk() out loud?

(My versions):

Quote:

> strcpy STIR-copy
> strtok STIR-tok
> strspn STIR-spin
> strrchr STIR-chir

stir-ARR-char (the last syllable of which I tend to pronounce "care",
but we already had an interesting thread devoted
to *that*).

Quote:

> strchr STIR-chir (as they say, context is all)

stir-char

Quote:

> strpbrk STRIP-break

Stir-puh-birk or stirp-birk or stir-pee-birk

Quote:

> strcmp STIR-comp
> strcoll STIR-coll
> strftime STIR-f-time
> strcat STIR-cat
> strcspn STIR-c-span (yes, as in the cable TV channel)
> char CHAR (as in a charred piece of wood)
> char * CHAR pointer

Micah

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 18:27:31 GMT

Micah Cowa
#15 / 25

Spoken C questions

Quote:

> > O.k., here are a couple of trivial questions about C that nevertheless
> > bother me, and, if I do not ask them, I will never know the answers.

> > 1. How do you pronounce out loud the names of the string functions...

> Since half of all Linux users can't pronounce the name of their system
> properly, you're not likely to get definitive responses to your
> question! ;)

Actually, I'd say a great deal more than half (including myself).
Because, if you listen carefully to how Linus pronounced it, it was
neither "Lie-nucks" nor "Lih-nucks"; it was "Lee-nooks" (well, the
final syllable was somewhere between oo and uh); because his own name
is pronounced "Lee-noose". My coworkers are probably about the only
folks that actually pronounce *his* name right - and that's just
because he's one of 'em. They still call Linux "Lih-nucks", though,
not "Lee-nooks".

Or did you mean it should be pronounced "Guh-noo Lih-nucks"? :)

Of course, a large number of people here aren't Linux users - for
example, we have BSD users. Now, it's fairly difficult to
mispronounce that one, so perhaps we should take *their*
pronunciations as having more weight than us poor Linux users? :)

Micah

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 18:35:01 GMT