R help - Nov 1998 - Just curiosity

Can anybody explain why
> ?function
+ 
+ 
+ )
Error: syntax error

so that
> ?"function" 
is necessarty???

This seems reasonable with 

?"?", 

but I can not see why the "" are necessary with function
(and some other examples)


Kjetil Halvorsen
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>>>>> "Kjetil" == Kjetil Halvorsen <khal at
alumni.uv.es> writes:
    Kjetil> Can anybody explain why
    >> ?function
    Kjetil> + + + ) Error: syntax error

    Kjetil> so that
    >> ?"function"

    Kjetil> is necessarty???

    Kjetil> This seems reasonable with

    Kjetil> ?"?",

    Kjetil> but I can not see why the "" are necessary with
function (and
    Kjetil> some other examples)

	function

is a reserved word.

The following is (de-latexified) from
"R-devel/doc/manual/primitive-funs.tex"
((which you will see as one of the first appendices in
  RHOME/doc/manual/Man.dvi   after "make dvi" 
  in R 0.63 (to be released soon)
))

*  ``Special functions'' which really are \emph{language} elements,
   however exist as .Primitive functions in R:

      {   (   if   for   while   repeat   break   next
      return   function   on.exit
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