Change "special form" to "special operator" in our sources. Add a compatible function alias, and the relevant manual index entries. src/ChangeLog addition: 2010-01-31 Aidan Kehoe <kehoea@parhasard.net> * symbols.c (Fspecial_operator_p, syms_of_symbols): * eval.c (print_subr, Finteractive_p, Ffuncall) (Ffunction_min_args, Ffunction_max_args, vars_of_eval): * editfns.c: * data.c (Fsubr_max_args): * doc.c (Fbuilt_in_symbol_file): Change "special form" to "special operator" in our sources. man/ChangeLog addition: 2010-01-31 Aidan Kehoe <kehoea@parhasard.net> * xemacs/programs.texi (Defuns): * lispref/variables.texi (Local Variables, Defining Variables) (Setting Variables, Default Value): * lispref/symbols.texi (Definitions): * lispref/searching.texi (Saving Match Data): * lispref/positions.texi (Excursions, Narrowing): * lispref/objects.texi (Primitive Function Type): * lispref/macros.texi (Defining Macros, Backquote): * lispref/lispref.texi (Top): * lispref/intro.texi (A Sample Function Description): * lispref/help.texi (Help Functions): * lispref/functions.texi (What Is a Function, Simple Lambda) (Defining Functions, Calling Functions, Anonymous Functions): * lispref/frames.texi (Input Focus): * lispref/eval.texi (Forms, Function Indirection) (Special Operators, Quoting): * lispref/edebug-inc.texi (Instrumenting) (Specification Examples): * lispref/debugging.texi (Internals of Debugger): * lispref/control.texi (Control Structures, Sequencing): (Conditionals, Combining Conditions, Iteration): (Catch and Throw, Handling Errors): * lispref/commands.texi (Defining Commands, Using Interactive): Terminology change; special operator -> special form. Don't attempt to change this in texinfo.texi or cl.texi, which use macros I don't understand. * lispref/macros.texi (Defining Macros): Give an anonymous macro example here. * lispref/positions.texi (Excursions): Correct some documentation that called a couple of macros special forms. * lispref/searching.texi (Saving Match Data): Drop some documentation of how to write code that works with Emacs 18. * lispref/specifiers.texi (Adding Specifications): Correct this; #'let-specifier is a macro, not a special operator. * lispref/windows.texi (Window Configurations) (Selecting Windows): Correct this, #'save-selected-window and #'save-window-excursion are macros, not special operators. lisp/ChangeLog addition: 2010-01-31 Aidan Kehoe <kehoea@parhasard.net> * obsolete.el: * loadhist.el (symbol-file): * help.el (describe-function-1): * bytecomp.el: (byte-compile-save-current-buffer): * byte-optimize.el (byte-optimize-form-code-walker): * subr.el (subr-arity): Change "special form" to "special operator" in these files, it's the more logical term. * subr.el (special-form-p): Provide this alias for #'special-operator-p.

--- a/man/lispref/intro.texi	Sun Jan 31 18:09:57 2010 +0000
+++ b/man/lispref/intro.texi	Sun Jan 31 20:28:01 2010 +0000
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@
 @cindex function descriptions
 @cindex command descriptions
 @cindex macro descriptions
-@cindex special form descriptions
+@cindex special operator descriptions
 
   In a function description, the name of the function being described
 appears first.  It is followed on the same line by a list of parameters.
@@ -773,13 +773,13 @@
   @xref{Lambda Expressions}, for a more complete description of optional
 and rest arguments.
 
-  Command, macro, and special form descriptions have the same format,
+  Command, macro, and special operator descriptions have the same format,
 but the word `Function' is replaced by `Command', `Macro', or `Special
 Form', respectively.  Commands are simply functions that may be called
 interactively; macros process their arguments differently from functions
 (the arguments are not evaluated), but are presented the same way.
 
-  Special form descriptions use a more complex notation to specify
+  Special operator descriptions use a more complex notation to specify
 optional and repeated parameters because they can break the argument
 list down into separate arguments in more complicated ways.
 @samp{@code{@r{[}@var{optional-arg}@r{]}}} means that @var{optional-arg} is
@@ -788,7 +788,7 @@
 additional levels of list structure.  Here is an example:
 
 @defspec count-loop (@var{var} [@var{from} @var{to} [@var{inc}]]) @var{body}@dots{}
-This imaginary special form implements a loop that executes the
+This imaginary special operator implements a loop that executes the
 @var{body} forms and then increments the variable @var{var} on each
 iteration.  On the first iteration, the variable has the value
 @var{from}; on subsequent iterations, it is incremented by 1 (or by
@@ -812,7 +812,7 @@
     (setq done t)))
 @end example
 
-In this special form, the arguments @var{from} and @var{to} are
+With this special operator, the arguments @var{from} and @var{to} are
 optional, but must both be present or both absent.  If they are present,
 @var{inc} may optionally be specified as well.  These arguments are
 grouped with the argument @var{var} into a list, to distinguish them