English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

12:08 AM

So what's the bottom line?

What it means is pretty clear, I just struggle with analyzing it and translating it.

Everyone understands "loop while" ...

I see, thank you. Then which is more natural to you, keep looping while or loop while or that's just trivial to the native speaker?

What programming language are you using?

Q: Convey 'looping' (in programming)

What is the most natural way to convey the present participle 'looping' as in the turn 'keep looping'? Does 'garder la boucle' sound ok? Or 'tourner en boucle'?

The instruction is while and it's all very simplistic.

Since I'm not a native speaker I can't tell whether the code comment is actually very natural or idiomatic English in context.

It sounds ok to me. Loop too, but I thought there could be confusion. There is none.

Anyways, that's the context which explains why I would want to know whether keep is very meaningful in context, but I understand it might be very trivial in the context of just making a phrase.

Anyone who would be programming understands that the while keyword involves looping.

12:22 AM

I would hope so. But in the actual comment "Keep looping while the user enters a non-zero number", that while is not a reference to the instruction keyword.

Just to the general meaning.

# Keep looping while the user enters a non-zero number

while x != 0:

...

It sounds fine.

Consider now: keep applying pressure. So is that already applied pressure or upcoming pressure?

Both.

But in the while loop we know it's upcoming, because we're in the comment just above it (the loop, using the "while" instruction).

Anyways.

Both, then what about in the code comment, it can't be both obviously.

Keep applying pressure into the future.

12:30 AM

@λyoyed'oncques You just showed code with a WHILE loop in it. That's what I'm talking about.

Because while the user enters a non-zero number makes it about the future only.

39 mins ago, by Robusto

@λyoyed'oncques You're overthinking this.

No doubt.

But a non-zero number has been applied at the present.

You mean because of the preceding instruction?

12:34 AM

Yes.

But that instruction is outside the while loop initially.

It doesn't matter.

You are talking about what happens in the following bit of code.

Are you saying something like you're abstracting the entire program to a more abstract loop than the while instruction?

Ah, ok.

Code comments are meant to preface a bit of code when they come before it.

I know.

The code is an image in the Q. so I'm lazy to type it here. But I think I must.

12:37 AM

If it doesn't read differently from the image, don't bother.

But I mean then why would you say that code comments precede instructions. Anyways.

Pasted it indeed then.

I saw that. My comments were based on that.

Ah, ok.

Well, thanks.

Good luck.

1:00 AM

@CowperKettle You'd think people would be able to get ethyl alcohol in Russia, of all places.

Lambie

1:37 AM

@Robusto Fyi, two French speakers have insisted over and over to me that the keep in keep looping is not needed as part of the meaning in French. One of them said that the keep is translated as TANT QUE [which by the way is WHILE]. And now, you and what seems to be another native English speaker have confirmed what I have said all along. The English is FINE. And the French is: Continuez à boucler; Keep looping in English is the same thing as: Continue looping.

And one of the two French speakers said I had an unbalanced view of English. When all along, I am saying - but in greater detail - the same thing as you.

Yes, Loop while [some other thing], but not what term is: Loop while. It isn't a term. Now, I am really done.

@Robusto The Govt took steps to make vodka more expensive, which I support

2:01 AM

I had a weird dream in which I and my friends got into a Russian patriotic camp, in the nature. I enrolled as one of the reenactors and was wearing the uniform and carrying a rifle.

Then I overheard in the headquarters, during a closed meeting, that they got hands on a lot of radioactive material, and somehow mishandled it, and the whole camp is radioactive now.

They got so alarmed by the fact at the secret meeting that they decided to murder every visitor to the camp to hush the fact. Or to start a war. I only vaguely overheard this.

So I headed to find my friends and together to run away from this camp.

> How on Earth should I bathe him?

2:27 AM

> I felt that I was getting myself into a dangerous game, but that bow on a string was acting way too smart

2:42 AM

@Lambie Well, I certainly have a balanced view of English. But I can't speak for French, tant pis pour mois ... and same goes for them, since they refuse to be enlightened.

8 hours later…

10:28 AM

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