About Pronounciation (compiled from Usenet)

[Juergen Christoffel <unido!gmdzi!jc@seismo.css.gov>]

Moin.
Just selectively compiled this from an amusing discussion about
pronounciation going on on Usenet. Thought you 'real' Lisp programmers
would like to see it:

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I knew I had joined the ranks of REAL Lisp programmers when I found out
that "cdr" was pronounced "could-er" instead of "cooder" the way the
books said.  (But how do you pronounce cadddadr?)

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>I knew I had joined the ranks of REAL Lisp programmers when I found out
>that "cdr" was pronounced "could-er" instead of "cooder" the way the
>books said.  (But how do you pronounce cadddadr?)

I don't understand why a three letter command should not just be
pronounced as its spelled; i.e. 'cee dee are.'  

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Keywords: lisp car cdr caar cadr cdar cddr

>I knew I had joined the ranks of REAL Lisp programmers when I found out
>that "cdr" was pronounced "could-er" instead of "cooder" the way the
>books said.  (But how do you pronounce cadddadr?)

cad-ould-d-ad-er, of course. Comes from caddr (cald-ould-er, the
third element in a list) and cdadr (could-ad-er) which is not a very
useful selector. (can you say tail of second element in the list?).

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> (But how do you pronounce cadddadr?)

Rhymes with "cadaver"...

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>>I knew I had joined the ranks of REAL Lisp programmers when I found out
>>that "cdr" was pronounced "could-er" instead of "cooder" the way the
>>books said.  (But how do you pronounce cadddadr?)
>
>I don't understand why a three letter command should not just be
>pronounced as its spelled; i.e. 'cee dee are.'  
>

Many years ago at school when I learned Lisp (I've never used it since) I
learned that there are essentially two operators in the language.  These
are "CAR" and "CDR".  ("CDR" *is* pronounced "could-er".)  The interesting
thing about them is their origin.  It seems that on the machine where
the language was developed (at Stanford, I think; don't know what machine)
there were two registers: a Current Address Register (CAR) and a Current
Decrement Register (CDR).

I always thought that this was perfect example of a machine independent
language.

((;-))   <== Lisp smiley

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	(But how do you pronounce cadddadr?)

Why, don't cha know?

car	= car
cdr	= coulder
caar	= cahar
cadr	= cahder
cdar	= couldaher
cddr	= coulduhder
caaar	= cahahaher
caadr	= cahader
cadar	= cahdauher
caddr	= cahduhder
cdaar	= couldahaher
cdadr	= couldader
cddar	= coulduhdaher
cdddr	= couldduhduhder

Following these simple rules, then "cadddadr" would be pronounced:

cahduhduhdahder.

Follow in your books as we learn our next three words in Turkish. :-)

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> > (But how do you pronounce cadddadr?)

ca-duh-duh-dader

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> the language was developed (at Stanford, I think; don't know what machine)
> there were two registers: a Current Address Register (CAR) and a Current
> Decrement Register (CDR).

The machine is an IBM 7094 (or one of its relatives).  There were two
big banks of 18 switches and lights side by side.  The address register
and the data register.  The C stands for contents not current  I believe.
I was walking through the University of Maryland one day with one of the
MIT lisp hackers and we stumbled accross an old 7094 console and his eyes
got kind of misty and said "This is where it all began."

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