On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 4:17 PM Felipe Contreras <felipe.contreras@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 4:40 PM Elijah Newren <newren@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 2:22 PM Felipe Contreras > > <felipe.contreras@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > > > The glossary defines a fast-forward as: > > > > > > A fast-forward is a special type of `merge` > > > > > > So, if you consider "merge" a noun, then a fast-forward is an > > > adjective. If you consider it a verb, then it's an adverb. But it's > > > not a verb. > > > > A square is a special type of a rectangle, but that doesn't make > > "square" an adjective; both square and rectangle are nouns. > > Words have multiple definitions. The word "square" is both a noun, and > an adjective [1]. It's perfectly fine to say "square corner". > > Just like it's perfectly fine to say "fast-forward merge", or "quick sort". > > And that's how many people use it: > > https://git-scm.com/docs/git-merge#_fast_forward_merge > https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/merge_requests/fast_forward_merge.html > https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/using-branches/git-merge#:~:text=Fast%20Forward%20Merge > > Plus there's many instances in the documentation: > > * non-fast-forward update > * fast-forward merges > * fast-forward check > * "fast-forward-ness" > * fast-forward situation > * fast-forward push > * non-fast-forward pushes > * non-fast-forward reference > * fast-forward cases > * "fast-forward" merge Yeah, and the number of "fast-forward merge" instances suggest I'm losing the battle on "fast-forward" not being a merge but a different thing. So maybe I'm losing multiple battles here. :-) > > > If it was a verb, then we should have `git fast-forward`, which may > > > not be a terrible idea, but right now a fast-forward is a modifier. > > > > > > At least that's what I have in my mind, and the glossary seems to agree. > > > > If you read the release notes and even various messages printed by > > git, "fast-forwards", "fast-forwarded", "fast-forwarding", and "to > > fast-forward" all appear multiple times. And yes, "fast-forward" also > > appears multiple times as a noun in addition to the various uses as a > > verb. So, I'd say the glossary just isn't comprehensive because in > > this case we have a word that serves as both a noun and a verb. > > It can be a noun, a verb, an adjective, and an adverb. But the > question is not what it can be, but what it actually is. I'm just > telling you my rationale: > > 1. noun: it doesn't make sense because you don't create, pick, show, > or push a "fast-forward" > 2. verb: there's no idiom to tell git "do fast-forward" > 3. adjective: there are merge nouns (commits), but no instances of > fast-forward merge commits, like say octopus merge commits > 4. adverb: you can tell git "do merge", and "do fast-forward merge" > > So, in my opinion a fast-forward today can only logically be an adverb. > > Like a bubble sort is a special type of sort, and theoretically you > can say "do a bubble", but it's just weird. My mind is left hanging: a > bubble $what? Likewise, when people say "do me a solid", I'm > annoyed... A solid $what?! They mean "a solid favor". People do it, so > it's part of language, but it doesn't stop it from being weird in my > opinion. > > An adverb typically answers the question "in what way?". Do me a > favor... In what way? In a solid way. Do a sort... In what way? In a > quick way. Do a move... In what way? In a bold way. Do a merge... In > what way? In a fast-forward way. > > > Going back to the text Junio highlighted, I agree with him that the > > phrase looks really awkward, and much prefer his suggestion > > (regardless of whether it aligns with the current glossary). > > Normally I don't show credentials, but in this case I think it might > be relevant. I've read multiple linguists, like Noam Chomsky, and > Steven Pinker. I follow many others and read their articles. I also > read The Pinker's Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to > Writing in the 21st Century [2], which I can't recommend enough for > people writing technical documents or any other classic style. I have > an arguably successful blog with more than 200 articles and more than > 1 million views, which is regularly linked from other blogs, and > technical resources. I constantly get thanked both in person, and > online for what I write. And at some point I was asked by a publisher > to write a book about Git (which I didn't feel prepared for at that > time). > > So, clearly at least some people value the way I write. > > I'm not trying to be stubborn here, I just honestly put effort into > the art of writing, and I do care deeply about language. > > Of course I might be wrong in this particular instance, but if I am, > it's not because of lack of effort. > > I think fast-forward is mainly an adverb, but even if it isn't the > main usage; it's still clearly an usage. > > Cheers. > > [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/square > [2] https://www.amazon.com/Sense-Style-Thinking-Persons-Writing/dp/0143127799 You have very compelling arguments that fast-forward often serves as an adverb (and if I'd thought a little closer, I would have remembered that I use "fast-forward update" myself). You have me convinced. However, I am somewhat less convinced that "fast-forward" doesn't also serve as a noun or a verb. Perhaps you are trying to argue how it *should* be used rather than how it *is* used, in which case I don't have any counter-arguments for you (I'm less well linguistically trained). But if you look at how it is used, the number of times "a fast-forward update" is shortened to "a fast-forward" in the documentation suggests to me it's often a noun, and the number of times that variants such as "fast-forwards", "fast-forwarded", "fast-forwarding", and "to fast-forward" appear in both the docs and output messages means that it's also frequently used as a verb as well. The fact that Junio expressed surprise upthread ("I thought that the idea that the word can be used as a verb...was given and not something anybody needs to be explained about") also suggests that usage of fast-forward as a verb is common. Anyway, I think trying to treat "fast-forward" as solely an adverb results in awkward phrases like "in a fast-forward way" instead of just using the much simpler verb form. Also, re-reading my earlier email, it looks like it could easily come across as curt. My apologies if it did read that way.
