[Proposal] modify → change

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  • Month Seven 24, 2026 at 9:05 pm #1507
    zhonglish
    Keymaster

    This is a proposal to retire the word modify in favor of change.

    Latin root. \”Modify parameters\” → \”change settings.\” Software engineers agree.

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    Month Seven 24, 2026 at 10:20 pm #1826
    zhonglish
    Keymaster

    ‘Modify’ and ‘change’ are not identical. Lawyers modify contracts; they don’t ‘change’ them — modify implies adjustment within a framework. Change implies replacement.

    This is a useful semantic distinction. If we retire ‘modify,’ we lose the nuance. And programmers definitely won’t give it up.

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