Re: Non native English speaker is checking whether a phrasing should be filed a minor bug report.

[Paul E Condon <pecondon@mesanetworks.net>]

On 20101130_124754, Nuno Magalhães wrote:
> Hi
> 
> 2010/11/30 Regid Ichira <regid.i@hotmail.com>:
> > If the logfile is not accessible,
> >        the messages will be kept in memory until it is.
> 
> If the logfile is not accessible, the messages will be kept in memory
> until <the logfile> is <accessible>.
> 
> No biggie there. The logfile is your only object there. I'd probably
> use "The messages will be kept in memory until a logfile is available
> on disk.", but i don't think the existing phrasing is ambiguous.
> 
> HTH,
> Nuno Magalhães
> 

I am a native speaker of US English. I think the rules that I learned
many years ago for the proper use of the word "it" are mostly violated
by US native speakers of English. I was taught that "it" refers to
the most recent prior noun. In this case the most recent prior noun is
"memory". So if the rule that I learned in school is applied, the
sentence makes no sense. I don't know any other language than English.
I have studied several in school, but never gained a facility with any
of them. I, myself, find that establishing the referant of a pronoun
in other people's sentences is often difficult. I never have a problem
with my own sentences. But many people do seem to have problems with
my sentences. 

I think computer documentation, when written in English, should avoid
the use of pronouns, as is suggested above. 

-- 
Paul E Condon           
pecondon@mesanetworks.net