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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!dual!hav
From: hav@dual.UUCP (Helen Anne Vigneau)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Name for part of speech
Message-ID: <1053@dual.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 17-Jul-85 20:16:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: dual.1053
Posted: Wed Jul 17 20:16:26 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 08:15:27 EDT
References: <480@mtunh.UUCP>
Organization: Dual Systems, Berkeley, CA
Lines: 54

/* I think this got eaten the first time, so here goes again . . . */

=> I'm working on a paper and I need to know the word which describes
=> the calss of words which have no real function in the following context:
=> they are noise words inserted in the sentence to make it flow and sound
=> natural. They add no meaning or inflection.  An example from computer
=> languages would be:
=> 
=> 	find employee WHERE salary IS > 30000

        a.  WHERE.  Idiomatic English would probably call for WHOSE,
            which is, of course, a possessive pronoun.

        b.  IS.  This is the verb of the dependent clause, "WHOSE/WHERE
            salary IS > 30000."

=> 	insert model INTO cartypes

        Preposition.

=> 	for $i IN 1 2 3 ...

        Preposition.

=> 	hand me my hat and MY coat

        Possessive pronoun.

=> 	if you run out of cash THEN write a check

        This drives me NUTS!!!  I am a technical writer and can say 
        that the THEN following an IF at the beginning of a sentence
        is a tell-tale sign that the sentence was written by a programmer.
        I edit the THEN out of everything upon which I am called to edit.
        It is superfluous, no doubt about it.

=> 
=> The words concerned are written in caps.
=> (Ellision in computer languages may or may not be permitted.)
=> 
=> What are these words called?
=> 
=> Thanks in advance,
=> -- 
=> 			Marcus Hand	(mtunh!mgh)

Helen Anne

     {ucbvax,ihnp4,cbosgd,hplabs,decwrl,unisoft,fortune,sun,nsc}!dual!hav 

             If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
             perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
             Let him step to the music he hears,
             however measured or far away.