[nilkn]

> Rng

I really think names without a fairly obvious way of saying them out-loud should just be avoided/deprecated. I can't pronounce this as "ring" (because then you'd think I was referring to a ring, not a rng). Do I just spell it out? R-N-G? I'd rather just call it a non-unital ring. That involves more letters but is much more descriptive (to a mathematician, anyway).

[amatecha]

Yeh, she calls it out right in the definition:

"If we may speak frankly, the rig and rng nomenclatures are abominations. Nevertheless, you may see them sometimes, but we will speak of them no more."

:)

[nilkn]

Sure, but I also wanted to suggest a simple descriptive name that sidesteps the problem.

[lonelappde]

It's "ring without i". i is of course "identity", which is conventionally denoted e, because i is usually the square root of unity. This works pretty well if you pronounce i as in French so it's a homophonic with English e. Isn't math a wonderful language of use for computer programming? It's so international, breaking the hegemony of English.

[JadeNB]

> I really think names without a fairly obvious way of saying them out-loud should just be avoided/deprecated. I can't pronounce this as "ring" (because then you'd think I was referring to a ring, not a rng).

But 'nearring' doesn't bother you? If I'm at a talk on rngs where the distinction from rings is important, then I'll know that's the kind of talk that I'm attending, and hear accordingly; or else the speaker will make a huge deal of it (and then probably not use the word).

[jaddood]

As mentioned, it should be pronounced "rung," but in any case, removing the i and suddenly making it a word and pronouncing it in a very unexpected way is really pretty stupid. I think, if one's really insisting on using "ring" but without the i, at least call it "rung" not "rng" so that its pronounciation is clear.

If it's so important to have a "rng" instead of a "ring" then using its name in some example of its usage should probably be better.

[dramaqueen]

Well, words, terms, notations and conventions come super cheap in math. You can call/denote "rng" anything you want. You just have to let your readers/interlocutors know about your conventions at the outset which is a standard practice in math anyway. For another thing, "r(u)ng" to me it's no different from writing "colonel" and reading it "kernel" (historical accident aside) :) There's also "lieutenant" which is pronounced " leftenant" in UK.

[mangamadaiyan]

Lieutenant is "Leftenant" in other parts of the world (those with a British connection, of course) as well.

[msclrhd]

I pronounce it /r@N/ -- i.e. like 'ring' but with the 'a' in comma, or the o in button. Although if it was a Rng formed by a pseudo-random sequence, then R-N-G would be apt ;).

[pvg]

If you want to use them, HN will take most funny squiggles: \ˈrəŋ\. It draws the line at emojis.

[Koshkin]

To be fair, the author has already made this point.

[dramaqueen]

You pronounce it as "rung".

[mlevental]

it's a ring without (i)dentity. makes perfect sense to me. Besides this is a mathematical object not a programming thing - math has its own culture and conventions and pronunciation isn't a cultural value.

[dllthomas]

At least, not pronunciation that's unambiguous whilst you're not also writing on a blackboard.