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Re: Remove delete-overlay?
From: |
Stephen J. Turnbull |
Subject: |
Re: Remove delete-overlay? |
Date: |
Fri, 02 Mar 2007 01:42:20 +0900 |
Robert J. Chassell writes:
> Interesting! As a native English speaker, the second meaning is
> relevant. I have never heard of the first, although it makes sense
> etymologically, as in `move again'!
Actually, I suspect you have: "removal service" (British term, I
think), "cousin once removed", "remove from consideration" (ie,
table), "remove an obstacle", "at a remove" (ie, detached), "remove
that apostate from our presence". Replace "remove" with "eliminate"
in those phrases, and they become rather more bloodthirsty, don't you
think?
I think the connotation is "moving away" (to somewhere), including the
possibility of moving back. Delete implies a return is irrelevant, or
perhaps impossible (viz, kill-OBJECT vs delete-OBJECT in Emacs).
Granted the usages are rather idiomatic, at least in American English,
but nonetheless I have to agree with the European consensus that the
connotations are different in a way relevant to the discussion.
> I would use a word such as `move' or `detach'.
FWIW, XEmacs uses detach for the analogous function, `detach-extent'.
`delete-extent' also exists, which detaches the extent but has
additional semantics. So I hope that (if the name changes)
`detach-overlay' will be chosen.