Subject: Re: bug#75512: Typo in (elisp) Symbol Components documentation

From: Stefan Kangas <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2025 04:10:13 +0100

Version: 30.1

Matt <[email-masked]> writes:

> Incorrect plural on word "variable":
>
> modified   doc/lispref/symbols.texi
> @@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ reference any object.  (This is not the same thing as holding the symbol
>  a value cell that is void results in an error, such as @samp{Symbol's
>  value as variable is void}.
>
> -  Because each symbol has separate value and function cells, variables
> +  Because each symbol has separate value and function cells, variable
>  names and function names do not conflict.  For example, the symbol
>  @code{buffer-file-name} has a value (the name of the file being
>  visited in the current buffer) as well as a function definition (a
>
> It may also help comprehension to remove the word "names" as follows:
>
> modified   doc/lispref/symbols.texi
> @@ -106,8 +106,8 @@ reference any object.  (This is not the same thing as holding the symbol
>  a value cell that is void results in an error, such as @samp{Symbol's
>  value as variable is void}.
>
> -  Because each symbol has separate value and function cells, variables
> -names and function names do not conflict.  For example, the symbol
> +  Because each symbol has separate value and function cells, variable
> +and function names do not conflict.  For example, the symbol
>  @code{buffer-file-name} has a value (the name of the file being
>  visited in the current buffer) as well as a function definition (a
>  primitive function that returns the name of the file):
>
> Removing "names" makes the form of the statement match the form of the preceding phrase.  The phrase has form "A and B X", the statement has form "A X and B X".

Thanks!  I fixed it like this instead:

    Because each symbol has separate value and function cells, the names
    of variables and functions do not conflict.

Closing this bug.