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Phrase origin: Why do we "call" functions?

(quuxplusone.github.io)
198 points todsacerdoti | 1 comments | 09 Jul 25 04:04 UTC | HN request time: 0.205s | source
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userbinator ◴[09 Jul 25 04:29 UTC] No.44506358[source]▶
Somewhat less frequently, I also hear "invoke" or "execute", which is more verbose but also more generic.

Incidentally, I find strange misuses of "call" ("calling a command", "calling a button") one of the more grating phrases used by ESL CS students.

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1. zahlman ◴[09 Jul 25 15:57 UTC] No.44511635[source]▶
>Incidentally, I find strange misuses of "call" ("calling a command", "calling a button") one of the more grating phrases used by ESL CS students.

From my own experience, native speakers (who are beginners at programming) also do this. They also describe all kinds of things as "commands" that aren't.