[comp.lang.c] How Do You Pronounce "#define"?

bpm@psuecl.bitnet (Brian Moquin) (12/03/89)

How should one pronounce "#define"?

Is it "pound define" or "number define"?

And if it is "pound define", which one of you taught me to say the other?

Thanks,

b

gvr@brunix (George V. Reilly) (12/04/89)

In article <69516@psuecl.bitnet> bpm@psuecl.bitnet (Brian Moquin) writes:
: How should one pronounce "#define"?
: 
: Is it "pound define" or "number define"?
: 
: And if it is "pound define", which one of you taught me to say the other?
: 
: Thanks,
: 
: b

I don't want to start another pronunciation fest, but I (and every C
programmer I know in Ireland) have always called this hash-define.
Maarten Litmaath posted a definitive list to comp.unix.wizards a few
weeks ago about this.

: #    CROSSHATCH, pound, pound sign, number, number sign, sharp, octothorpe#,
:        hash, fence, crunch, mesh, hex, flash, grid, pig-pen, tictactoe,
:        scratch (mark), (garden)gate, hak, oof, rake, sink&, corridor&

------
George V. Reilly			gvr@cs.brown.edu
uunet!brunix!gvr   gvr@browncs.bitnet	Box 1910, Brown U, Prov, RI 02912

dks@shumv1.uucp (D. K. Smith) (12/04/89)

In article <22141@brunix.UUCP> gvr@panda.UUCP (George V. Reilly) writes:
>In article <69516@psuecl.bitnet> bpm@psuecl.bitnet (Brian Moquin) writes:
>: How should one pronounce "#define"?
>
>: #    CROSSHATCH, pound, pound sign, number, number sign, sharp, octothorpe#,
>:        hash, fence, crunch, mesh, hex, flash, grid, pig-pen, tictactoe,
>:        scratch (mark), (garden)gate, hak, oof, rake, sink&, corridor&


Did we forget "splat"?  That is, in the same context as the "!"
is called "bang".


dk smith
--------
--------

stephenf@softway.oz (Stephen Frede) (12/04/89)

>How should one pronounce "#define"?

"Hash define" of course.

			Regards,

				- Stephen Frede

Softway Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 305, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012, AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61 2 698 2322; Fax: +61 2 699 9174; Telex: AA27987
ACSnet: stephenf@softway.oz	UUCP: ...!uunet!softway.oz!stephenf

srb@eh.ifs.umich.edu (Steve Burling) (12/05/89)

I always thought "#define" was pronounced "octothorpe define" or "sharp
define"...  :-)


--------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Burling                      Internet: srb@ifs.umich.edu
Institutional File System Project  BITNET: usersrb@umichum
The University of Michigan         phone: 313-763-4905
535 W. William Street
Ann Arbor, MI   48103-4943

gordon@marduk.cs.cornell.edu (Jeffrey Adam Gordon) (12/05/89)

In article <69516@psuecl.bitnet> bpm@psuecl.bitnet (Brian Moquin) writes:
>How should one pronounce "#define"?
>
>Is it "pound define" or "number define"?
>

I read it as "sharp define."

- jag -

roy@lorien.gatech.edu (Roy Mongiovi) (12/05/89)

I pronounce it "poundefine", for whatever it's worth, but then
again I'm from the same place that brings you Co Cola....

Roy J. Mongiovi     Systems Support Specialist     Office of Computing Services
Georgia Institute of Technology	  Atlanta, Georgia  30332-0275   (404) 894-4660
	uucp: ...!{allegra,amd,hplabs,ut-ngp}!gatech!prism!roy
	ARPA: roy@prism.gatech.edu

craigb@hp-sdd.hp.com (Craig Bosworth) (12/05/89)

In article <1989Dec4.041559.9045@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> dks@shumv1.ncsu.edu (D. K. Smith) writes:

[ about how to pronounce '#' ]

>
>Did we forget "splat"?  That is, in the same context as the "!"
>is called "bang".

Umm, I always thought that '*' was a "splat".

BOS

-- 
Craig Bosworth  (619) 592-8609           16399 West Bernardo Drive
Hewlett-Packard, San Diego Division      San Diego, CA  92127-1899
UUCP     : {hplabs|nosc|hpfcla|ucsd}!hp-sdd!craigb
Internet : craigb%hp-sdd@sde.hp.com (or @nosc.mil, @ucsd.edu)

tbrakitz@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Byron Rakitzis) (12/05/89)

Hey, I just say "define". It's usually obvious what is meant!
-- 
"C Code."
	  "C Code run."
			"Run, Code, run!"
Byron Rakitzis. (tbrakitz@phoenix.princeton.edu ---- tbrakitz@pucc.bitnet)

dd26+@andrew.cmu.edu (Douglas F. DeJulio) (12/05/89)

bpm@psuecl.bitnet (Brian Moquin) writes:
> Is it "pound define" or "number define"?

Around here, I frequently hear "hash define".  I tend to say either
"number-sign define" or just "define".
-- 
DdJ

dd26+@andrew.cmu.edu (Douglas F. DeJulio) (12/05/89)

craigb@hp-sdd.hp.com (Craig Bosworth) writes:
> Umm, I always thought that '*' was a "splat".

NONONONONO!  '*' Should Always Be STAR.

fredex@cg-atla.UUCP (Fred Smith) (12/05/89)

Well, being basically lazy, I just pronounce it "DEFINE". It's too much
trouble to say pound define, or hash define, or whatever, and it ISN'T
a SHARP SIGN. Anyone who has ever looked at a sheet of music can see
that a sharp symbol and the hashmark symbol found on shift-3 (on most
keyboards) are NOT THE SAME!

If I say "Define FOOBAR equal to 3" you will know what I mean, right??? So
I don't have to actually say the pound/sharp/hash/etc.

Fred

joe@junkyard.UUCP (Joseph Sarkes) (12/06/89)

In article <2438@softway.oz>, stephenf@softway.oz (Stephen Frede) writes:
> >How should one pronounce "#define"?

very carefully.	on a serious note, # is a POUND sign, so maybe
pound define would do.

djones@megatest.UUCP (Dave Jones) (12/06/89)

From article <1989Dec4.041559.9045@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>, by dks@shumv1.uucp (D. K. Smith):

"Pound-define", of course.

> Did we forget "splat"?  That is, in the same context as the "!"
> is called "bang".

This is not a splat: #
This is a splat, a.k.a. "star": *

dan@charyb.COM (Dan Mick) (12/07/89)

In article <8133@cg-atla.UUCP> fredex@cg-atla.UUCP (Fred Smith) writes:

  [yet another Personal Pronunciation deleted]
  
Well, *I* pronounce #define as "purple banana flag-burner".  Now, don't you
all feel better for knowing how *I* pronounce this?


*PLEASE* stop it...*PLEASE*...
  

-- 
.sig files are idiotic and wasteful.

jeffs@ka.excelan.com (Jeff Seideman) (12/07/89)

In article <561@junkyard.UUCP>, joe@junkyard.UUCP (Joseph Sarkes) writes:
> In article <2438@softway.oz>, stephenf@softway.oz (Stephen Frede) writes:
> > >How should one pronounce "#define"?
> 
> very carefully.	on a serious note, # is a POUND sign, so maybe
> pound define would do.

That's funny!  One of my co-workers and I were just fighting over that
this morning.  He says # is "SHARP" and I say # is "GRID".
So it can be "pound define"
or           "sharp define"
or           "grid define"

Aint English Goodly?

 __________________________________________________________________________
|  ...like a fool I mixed them,          |       Jeff Seideman             |
|  and it strangled up my mind           |                                 |
|  now people just get uglier            |                                 |
|  and I have no sense of time...        |                                 |
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

antony@kestrel.inmos.co.uk (Antony King) (12/08/89)

In article <850@excelan.COM> jeffs@ka.excelan.com (Jeff Seideman) writes:
<In article <561@junkyard.UUCP>, joe@junkyard.UUCP (Joseph Sarkes) writes:
<> In article <2438@softway.oz>, stephenf@softway.oz (Stephen Frede) writes:
<> > >How should one pronounce "#define"?
<> 
<> very carefully.	on a serious note, # is a POUND sign, so maybe
<> pound define would do.
<
<That's funny!  One of my co-workers and I were just fighting over that
<this morning.  He says # is "SHARP" and I say # is "GRID".
<So it can be "pound define"
<or           "sharp define"
<or           "grid define"


Or how about "hash define".

Antony King, Software Group   | JANET: antony@uk.co.inmos
INMOS Limited,                | Internet: antony@inmos.com
1000 Aztec West, Almondsbury, | Path: ukc!inmos!antony or uunet!inmos-c!antony
Bristol BS12 4SQ. UK.         | Phone: +44 454 616616 x540

net@tub.UUCP (Oliver Laumann) (12/08/89)

Being in Germany, I pronounce it `Doppelkreuz-define', of course.
Can we stop this now?

--
Oliver Laumann              net@TUB.BITNET              net@tub.UUCP

joe@junkyard.UUCP (Joseph Sarkes) (12/11/89)

In article <850@excelan.COM>, jeffs@ka.excelan.com (Jeff Seideman) writes:
> 
> So it can be "pound define"
> or           "sharp define"
> or           "grid define"

Well, I do agree that it is important for people in a discipline to
be able to communicate reliably, so that there should be a common
pronounciation amoung all for each given word. Since at this time we
do not have a glossary on each persons desk which will resolve this
problem, usage in the common world would probably be the way to go.
This leads us to the question of when you go to the grocery store,
(how much more common can you get?) do you buy two sharps of ham, (2 #)
two grids of ham, (2 #) or two pounds of ham? (2 #) As far as I've seen
in this world, the only common usage of # is for pound, (weight) at least
in the U.S.A. As far as continuing this thread on comp.lang.c, it would
probably really belong in some newsgroup concerning linguistics or
possibly a group of people compiling the above glossary of pronounciation
for posting to the net at a latter date. No.... I am not volunteering to
compile said glossary, but this subject has been beaten to death at
least as far as this group should be concerned. (in my opinion) Let us
drop this line of thought after the next round of responses or flames,
or at least someone post a message stating where this thread has moved
for the diehards that MUST continue with it.

Joseph Sarkes	(junkyard!joe)

keithd@anvil.oz (Keith Duddy) (12/11/89)

bpm@psuecl.bitnet (Brian Moquin) writes:

>How should one pronounce "#define"?

>Is it "pound define" or "number define"?

>And if it is "pound define", which one of you taught me to say the other?

>Thanks,

>b

Is this a joke?

I've never heard anyone say anything other than "hash define".

dud.
(keithd@anvil.oz)

carlp@frigg.iscs.com (Carl Paukstis) (12/13/89)

In article <mumble> somebody (actually many somebodies) write:
>assorted junk about pronunciation of special characters.

I will again accept e-mailed contributions to my continuing list of
the ways various people pronounce various characters.  The list, as of
30 Oct 87 was originally posted as: Message-ID: <311@iscintl.UUCP>:

Here they are, the pronunciations of your favorite "special" characters.
I had 37 responses; the pronunciations are listed in order of frequency
mentioned among those responses, most common first.

Thanks to all the respondents, especially for a foreign perspective.

! = bang | shriek | ballbat | pling
* = star | splat | asterisk
$ = dollar | dollar sign | ding | string
# = sharp | pound | hash | number | gardengate | gate | oof | crunch
\ = backslash | bash | reverse virgule
. = dot | point | period
- = dash | minus | hyphen
^ = caret | hat | up-arrow | boink
? = question mark | huh | question | query | kwes | quiz
= = equals | gets
| = or | bar | pipe | tube | mark | whack
@ = at | snable-a (note 3)
% = percent | shift-5 | grape
+ = plus
_ = underscore | underline | underbar
& = and | ampersand | amper | donald duck (note 1)
( = left paren | paren | open paren | left banana | banana
) = right paren | close paren | right banana | banana | thesis
{ = left curly brace | left brace | open brace | open curly bracket | brace
    | left Tuborg (note 2) | open curly brace | curly brace
} = right curly brace | close brace | close curly bracket 
    | right Tuborg (note 2) | close curly brace | uncurly brace
[ = left bracket | open bracket | bracket | open square bracket 
    | edged parenthesis begin (note 3)
] = right bracket | close bracket | close square bracket | unbracket
    | edged parenthesis end (note 3)
~ = twiddle | squiggle | tilde | tildee
< = less than | left angle bracket | sucks (note 4) | in arrow
> = greater that | right angle bracket | blows (note 4) | out arrow
` = back tick | back ping | back quote | accent grave
' = tick | ping | quote | single quote
" = quote | double quote | double ping
/ = slash | virgule
: = colon
; = semicolon
, = comma


Notes:
1)  From Danish "Anders And", sounds like ampersand, means Donald Duck.
2)  From the advertising for a well-known beverage (Danish).
3)  Imported from Denmark, your mileage may vary.
4)  As in "cat sucks stdin, blows stdout".

--
Carl Paukstis       "I'm the NRA"      |  DOMAIN:  carlp@frigg.ISC-BR.COM   
   ISC-Bunker Ramo Corp.  ms LL2-2B    |  UUCP:    ...!uunet!isc-br!frigg!carlp
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   Spokane, WA  99220-4008             |  (this space intentionally non-blank)

cmp8118@sys.uea.ac.uk (D.S. Cartwright) (12/13/89)

In some article or other, bpm@psuecl.bitnet (Brian Moquin) writes:

>How should one pronounce "#define"?
>Is it "pound define" or "number define"?
>And if it is "pound define", which one of you taught me to say the other?

                                                  @
 [... only he put a lot of blank lines in it ... {:^)]
                                                  @

Personally, I pronounce it 'Hash define', 'cos having been a living English
person for well over nineteen years now, I think of a 'pound' sign as something
looking vaguely like and E which I can't demonstrate to you all because the
terminal chucks out a # whenever I press the bloody pound-sign button !!!!!!

Basically, # means 'number' when combined with a number, e.g. #14 is read as
'Number 14'. Except of course in Chinese takeaways, where #14 is read as 'Egg
Foo Yung with Deep Fried Mushrooms and House Special Fried Rice'.

So call it whatever you want. Why not call it a Large Green Frog, that's got a 
ring to it, hasn't it ?? 

So remember ....

                 Large Green Frog include <stdio.h>

	Dave Cartwright,
	    School of Information Systems,
		University of East Anglia,
		    Norwich,
			ENGLAND.

{Large Green Frog include .sig}

Disclaimer : I speak for myself; if anyone else agrees with me, they must be a
             bit soft in the head and should form a club to celebrate the fact

ken@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Ken Johnson) (12/14/89)

>>How should one pronounce "#define"?
>>Is it "pound define" or "number define"?

I can't imagine that anyone doesn't know this already, but the UK Pound
sign is not # but a crossed-out script L .  therefore, talking about
`pound define', `the pound sign' etc.  is only going to confuse us here!



-- 
Ken Johnson, AI Applications Institute, 80 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1HN
E-mail ken@aiai.ed.ac.uk, phone 031-225 4464 extension 212
`I have read your .signature, Mr Johnson, and it's been truncated to three
lines.' -- `No, it hasn't. With this version you can make your .sig as lon

utoddl@uncecs.edu (Todd M. Lewis) (12/14/89)

In article <1043@sys.uea.ac.uk>, cmp8118@sys.uea.ac.uk (D.S. Cartwright) writes:
> 
> Personally, I pronounce it 'Hash define', 'cos having been a living English
 [...]
> Basically, # means 'number' when combined with a number, e.g. #14 is read as
> 'Number 14'. Except of course in Chinese takeaways, where #14 is read as 'Egg
> Foo Yung with Deep Fried Mushrooms and House Special Fried Rice'.
> 
> So call it whatever you want. Why not call it a Large Green Frog, that's got a 
> ring to it, hasn't it ?? 
> 
> So remember ....
> 
>                  Large Green Frog include <stdio.h>

Fine.  So how do you pronounce the difference between
   #include <some.h>
and
   #include "some.h"

I usually just say "include some dot aytch" and I wouldn't have
brought it up if it weren't so amazing how far so many people
can ride the same dead horse.

-- Todd (beating a dead horse into a ploughshare) Lewis

BRL102@PSUVM.BITNET (Ben Liblit) (12/14/89)

>How should one pronounce "#define"?
>Is it "pound define" or "number define"?

What this entire silly debate gets down to is how to pronounce "#".  (I think
we can all agree on the proper pronunciation of "define".)

Consider:  if a C programmer were to say "include s t d i o dot h," would you
be able to make the mental leap to comprehend that he/she was saying "#include
<stdio.h>"?

If no, than I strongly suggest you abandon computer programming in favor of
some other, less complicated, activity.

If yes, then pronounce "#define" as "define" and get back to work.

                          Ben Liblit
                          BRL102 @ psuvm.bitnet -- BRL102 @ psuvm.psu.edu
                          "Fais que tes reves soient plus longs que la nuit."

gdtltr@mocha.it.udel.edu (Gary Duzan) (12/15/89)

In article <89348.100415BRL102@PSUVM.BITNET> BRL102@PSUVM.BITNET (Ben Liblit) writes:
=>>How should one pronounce "#define"?
=>>Is it "pound define" or "number define"?
=>
=>What this entire silly debate gets down to is how to pronounce "#".  (I think
=>we can all agree on the proper pronunciation of "define".)
=>
=>Consider:  if a C programmer were to say "include s t d i o dot h," would you
=>be able to make the mental leap to comprehend that he/she was saying "#include
=><stdio.h>"?
=>
=>If no, than I strongly suggest you abandon computer programming in favor of
=>some other, less complicated, activity.
=>
=>If yes, then pronounce "#define" as "define" and get back to work.
=>
   How about #if? If there is any ambiguity, I just prepend the word
"preprocessor". Otherwise, I use the "mental leap" theory suggested above.

                                        Gary Duzan
                                        Time  Lord
                                    Third Regeneration




      _o_                                                            _o_
    [|o o|]        "Two hearts are better than one." -- Yes        [|o o|]
     |_O_|      "Don't listen to me; I never do." -- Doctor Who     |_O_|

darcy@druid.uucp (D'Arcy J.M. Cain) (12/15/89)

In article <1454@skye.ed.ac.uk> ken@aiai.UUCP (Ken Johnson) writes:
>
>I can't imagine that anyone doesn't know this already, but the UK Pound
>sign is not # but a crossed-out script L .  therefore, talking about
>`pound define', `the pound sign' etc.  is only going to confuse us here!
>
What makes you think it refers to pound sterling?  '#' is shorthand for
pounds weight (2000# = 1 ton)  I don't think anyone on this side of the
pond thinks the '#' means pound sterling.

-- 
D'Arcy J.M. Cain (darcy@druid)     |   Thank goodness we don't get all 
D'Arcy Cain Consulting             |   the government we pay for.
West Hill, Ontario, Canada         |
No disclaimers.  I agree with me   |

dbin@norsat.UUCP (Dave Binette) (12/17/89)

#define #define "numdeefine"

john@wsl.UUCP (John Allen on wsl) (12/18/89)

With the amount of absolutely useless debate going on about how to pronounce
the # character, you would think that all the 'C' programmers in the world
had nothing better to be doing with their time.

This has to rate as the silliest discussion I have ever seen. Not to mention
the amount of money it is costing.


-- 
People that don't know want to know from the people that do know and if the 
poeple that do know don't tell the people that don't know then the people
that don't know still won't know.
				   "Don't quote me on any issue whatsoever."

dan@charyb.COM (Dan Mick) (12/18/89)

In article <285@wsl.UUCP> john@wsl.ie (John Allen on wsl) writes:
>This has to rate as the silliest discussion I have ever seen. Not to mention
>the amount of money it is costing.

Agreed.  Why can't we stop this?



-- 
.sig files are idiotic and wasteful.

wsmith@mdbs.UUCP (Bill Smith) (01/08/90)

> People that don't know want to know from the people that do know and if the 
> poeple that do know don't tell the people that don't know then the people
> that don't know still won't know.
> 				   "Don't quote me on any issue whatsoever."

Ahh, but if the people who don't know don't tell the people who do
know that they don't know, then the people who do know won't know
that the people who don't know don't know. If the people who do know
don't know that the people who don't know don't know, then the people
who do know might tell the people who don't know what the people who
do know do know not knowing that the people who don't know don't know. 
Then the people who didn't know would know and the people who did know 
would never know that the people who didn't know didn't know.
		"You can quote me on that" - jhb