Re: [PATCH] doc: replace jargon word "impact" with "effect"/"affect"

[Varun Varada <varuncvarada@gmail.com>]

On Tue, 6 Apr 2021 at 04:24, Michal Suchánek <msuchanek@suse.de> wrote:
>
> On Mon, Apr 05, 2021 at 04:48:58PM -0500, Varun Varada wrote:
> > There are a bunch of places in the code/docs which use the word "impact"
> > incorrectly. This is especially true of places where it says "will not
> > impact", which suggests that it might have an effect, albeit not as
> > strong of a one. This commit replaces all of these with their
> > appropriate alternative so that the docs not only does not use jargon,
> > but are also unambiguous.
>
> Hello,
>
> while using "will not impact" in an incorrect or unclear way may be a
> problem the word "impact" in itself is not "jargon".

The word means "to have a strong or marked effect on" (v.) and "a
strong or market influence" (n.) when used figuratively; it is not
synonymous with "affect" and "effect", respectively, as shown even by
all of the entries you've cited. Using it as such is the incorrect
part, so those are the instances I've changed in the diff.

>
> From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
>
>   Impact \Im*pact"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impacted; p. pr. & vb.
>      n. Impacting.] [L. impactus, p. p. of impingere to push,
>      strike against. See Impinge.]
>      1. To drive close; to press firmly together: to wedge into a
>         place. --Woodward.
>         [1913 Webster]
>
>      2. To affect or influence, especially in a significant or
>         undesirable manner; as, budget cuts impacted the entire
>         research program; the fish populations were adversely
>         impacted by pollution.
>         [PJC]
>
>      3. To collide forcefully with; to strike.
>         [PJC]
>
> From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) :
>
>   impact
>       n 1: the striking of one body against another
>       2: a forceful consequence; a strong effect; "the book had an
>          important impact on my thinking"; "the book packs a wallop"
>          [syn: impact, wallop]
>       3: influencing strongly; "they resented the impingement of
>          American values on European culture" [syn: impingement,
>          encroachment, impact]
>       4: the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering
>          into combat; "the armies met in the shock of battle" [syn:
>          shock, impact]
>       v 1: press or wedge together; pack together
>       2: have an effect upon; "Will the new rules affect me?" [syn:
>          affect, impact, bear upon, bear on, touch on,
>          touch]
>
> From Merriam-Webster dictionary:
>
>    impact
>
>    noun
>    im·pact | \ ˈim-ˌpakt How to pronounce impact (audio) \
>    plural impacts
>
>    1a : an impinging or striking especially of one body against another
>    b : a forceful contact or onset also : the impetus communicated in or as
>    if in such a contact
>    2 : the force of impression of one thing on another : a significant or
>    major effect the impact of science on our society a study outlining the
>    potential environmental impacts of the construction project
>
>    impact
>
>    verb
>    im·pact | \ im-ˈpakt How to pronounce impact (audio) \
>    impacted; impacting; impacts
>
>    transitive verb
>
>    1a : to have a direct effect or impact on : impinge on
>    b : to strike forcefully also : to cause to strike forcefully
>    2a : to fix firmly by or as if by packing or wedging
>    b : to press together
>
>    intransitive verb
>
>    1 : to have an impact —often used with on
>    2 : to impinge or make contact especially forcefully
>
> If you are concerned about correctness and clarity of the documentation please
> avoid spreading misinformation.

As for jargon, using the noun and the verb in a figurative sense is
still in the realm of (business) jargon for most publications:

From Lexico, powered by Oxford English Dictionary:

The phrasal verb impact on, as in when produce is lost, it always
impacts on the bottom line, has been in the language since the 1960s.
Many people disapprove of it, saying that make an impact on or other
equivalent wordings should be used instead. This may be partly
because, in general, new formations of verbs from nouns (as in the
case of impact, action, and task) are regarded as somehow inferior; in
addition, since the verbal use of impact is associated with business
and commercial writing, it has the unenviable status of ‘jargon’,
which makes it doubly disliked.


From the Modern Language Association (MLA):

In its publications, the MLA follows various usage experts who
recommend restricting the use of impact as a verb to only one of the
several definitions you may find in a dictionary: “to strike
forcefully” (“Impact”). A car may impact another car in a collision,
for example. But we avoid using impact as a verb when the meaning is
“to affect” or “to influence.”


From MIT / the Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing:

Do not confuse the words affect, effect, and impact, each of which can
be used both as a verb and as a noun. Avoid incorrectly using impact
as a verb in place of affect or as a noun in place of effect.

>
> Thanks
>
> Michal
>
> > Signed-off-by: Varun Varada <varuncvarada@gmail.com>
> > ---
> >  Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt              |  2 +-
> >  Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt                |  2 +-
> >  Documentation/config/pack.txt                      |  2 +-
> >  Documentation/git-fast-import.txt                  | 14 +++++++-------
> >  Documentation/git-fetch.txt                        |  2 +-
> >  .../technical/hash-function-transition.txt         |  2 +-
> >  Documentation/user-manual.txt                      |  4 ++--
> >  advice.c                                           |  2 +-
> >  builtin/fast-import.c                              |  2 +-
> >  builtin/pack-objects.c                             |  2 +-
> >  compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h                        |  2 +-
> >  contrib/coccinelle/README                          |  2 +-
> >  dir.c                                              |  2 +-
> >  t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh                         |  2 +-
> >  t/t0008-ignores.sh                                 |  2 +-
> >  t/t0303-credential-external.sh                     |  2 +-
> >  t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh                         |  4 ++--
> >  t/t4013-diff-various.sh                            |  2 +-
> >  t/t5000-tar-tree.sh                                |  2 +-
> >  t/test-lib-functions.sh                            |  2 +-
> >  20 files changed, 28 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt
> > b/Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt
> > index af0a9da62e..8372a7e59e 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt
> > @@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ Now that you have a usage hint, you can teach Git
> > how to show it in the general
> >  command list shown by `git help git` or `git help -a`, which is generated from
> >  `command-list.txt`. Find the line for 'git-pull' so you can add your 'git-psuh'
> >  line above it in alphabetical order. Now, we can add some attributes about the
> > -command which impacts where it shows up in the aforementioned help
> > commands. The
> > +command which affects where it shows up in the aforementioned help
> > commands. The
> >  top of `command-list.txt` shares some information about what each attribute
> >  means; in those help pages, the commands are sorted according to these
> >  attributes. `git psuh` is user-facing, or porcelain - so we will mark it as
> > diff --git a/Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt
> > b/Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt
> > index 2d10eea7a9..fd5bb8fb7d 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt
> > @@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ Count all the objects within and modify the print statement:
> >  By running your walk with and without the filter, you should find
> > that the total
> >  object count in each case is identical. You can also time each invocation of
> >  the `walken` subcommand, with and without `omitted` being passed in, to confirm
> > -to yourself the runtime impact of tracking all omitted objects.
> > +to yourself the runtime effect of tracking all omitted objects.
> >
> >  === Changing the Order
> >
> > diff --git a/Documentation/config/pack.txt b/Documentation/config/pack.txt
> > index 3da4ea98e2..00fcc9d7c7 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/config/pack.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/config/pack.txt
> > @@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ pack.deltaCacheSize::
> >   This cache is used to speed up the writing object phase by not
> >   having to recompute the final delta result once the best match
> >   for all objects is found.  Repacking large repositories on machines
> > - which are tight with memory might be badly impacted by this though,
> > + which are tight with memory might be badly affected by this though,
> >   especially if this cache pushes the system into swapping.
> >   A value of 0 means no limit. The smallest size of 1 byte may be
> >   used to virtually disable this cache. Defaults to 256 MiB.
> > diff --git a/Documentation/git-fast-import.txt
> > b/Documentation/git-fast-import.txt
> > index 39cfa05b28..c6d8e4e1d7 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/git-fast-import.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/git-fast-import.txt
> > @@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ OPTIONS
> >   allowing fast-import to access the filesystem outside of the
> >   repository). These options are disabled by default, but can be
> >   allowed by providing this option on the command line.  This
> > - currently impacts only the `export-marks`, `import-marks`, and
> > + currently affects only the `export-marks`, `import-marks`, and
> >   `import-marks-if-exists` feature commands.
> >  +
> >   Only enable this option if you trust the program generating the
> > @@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ that contains SP the path must be quoted.
> >
> >  A `filecopy` command takes effect immediately.  Once the source
> >  location has been copied to the destination any future commands
> > -applied to the source location will not impact the destination of
> > +applied to the source location will not affect the destination of
> >  the copy.
> >
> >  `filerename`
> > @@ -708,7 +708,7 @@ that contains SP the path must be quoted.
> >  A `filerename` command takes effect immediately.  Once the source
> >  location has been renamed to the destination any future commands
> >  applied to the source location will create new files there and not
> > -impact the destination of the rename.
> > +affect the destination of the rename.
> >
> >  Note that a `filerename` is the same as a `filecopy` followed by a
> >  `filedelete` of the source location.  There is a slight performance
> > @@ -1010,7 +1010,7 @@ The `LF` after the command is optional (it used
> > to be required).
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~
> >  Causes fast-import to print the entire `progress` line unmodified to
> >  its standard output channel (file descriptor 1) when the command is
> > -processed from the input stream.  The command otherwise has no impact
> > +processed from the input stream.  The command otherwise has no effect
> >  on the current import, or on any of fast-import's internal state.
> >
> >  ....
> > @@ -1035,7 +1035,7 @@ can safely access the refs that fast-import updated.
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~
> >  Causes fast-import to print the SHA-1 corresponding to a mark to
> >  stdout or to the file descriptor previously arranged with the
> > -`--cat-blob-fd` argument. The command otherwise has no impact on the
> > +`--cat-blob-fd` argument. The command otherwise has no effect on the
> >  current import; its purpose is to retrieve SHA-1s that later commits
> >  might want to refer to in their commit messages.
> >
> > @@ -1050,7 +1050,7 @@ this output safely.
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~
> >  Causes fast-import to print a blob to a file descriptor previously
> >  arranged with the `--cat-blob-fd` argument.  The command otherwise
> > -has no impact on the current import; its main purpose is to
> > +has no effect on the current import; its main purpose is to
> >  retrieve blobs that may be in fast-import's memory but not
> >  accessible from the target repository.
> >
> > @@ -1366,7 +1366,7 @@ code considerably.
> >
> >  The branch LRU builtin to fast-import tends to behave very well, and the
> >  cost of activating an inactive branch is so low that bouncing around
> > -between branches has virtually no impact on import performance.
> > +between branches has virtually no effect on import performance.
> >
> >  Handling Renames
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > diff --git a/Documentation/git-fetch.txt b/Documentation/git-fetch.txt
> > index 9067c2079e..01cf3b3d16 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/git-fetch.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/git-fetch.txt
> > @@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ on remotes that have themselves deleted those branches.
> >  If left to accumulate, these stale references might make performance
> >  worse on big and busy repos that have a lot of branch churn, and
> >  e.g. make the output of commands like `git branch -a --contains
> > -<commit>` needlessly verbose, as well as impacting anything else
> > +<commit>` needlessly verbose, as well as affecting anything else
> >  that'll work with the complete set of known references.
> >
> >  These remote-tracking references can be deleted as a one-off with
> > diff --git a/Documentation/technical/hash-function-transition.txt
> > b/Documentation/technical/hash-function-transition.txt
> > index 7c1630bf83..f4296faffc 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/technical/hash-function-transition.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/technical/hash-function-transition.txt
> > @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ mitigations.
> >
> >  If SHA-1 and its variants were to be truly broken, Git's hash function
> >  could not be considered cryptographically secure any more. This would
> > -impact the communication of hash values because we could not trust
> > +affect the communication of hash values because we could not trust
> >  that a given hash value represented the known good version of content
> >  that the speaker intended.
> >
> > diff --git a/Documentation/user-manual.txt b/Documentation/user-manual.txt
> > index fd480b8645..33c60c49d7 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/user-manual.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/user-manual.txt
> > @@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ Note: checking out 'v2.6.17'.
> >
> >  You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental
> >  changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this
> > -state without impacting any branches by performing another switch.
> > +state without affecting any branches by performing another switch.
> >
> >  If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may
> >  do so (now or later) by using -c with the switch command again. Example:
> > @@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ their histories forked. The work tree is
> > overwritten by the result of
> >  the merge when this combining is done cleanly, or overwritten by a
> >  half-merged results when this combining results in conflicts.
> >  Therefore, if you have uncommitted changes touching the same files as
> > -the ones impacted by the merge, Git will refuse to proceed. Most of
> > +the ones affected by the merge, Git will refuse to proceed. Most of
> >  the time, you will want to commit your changes before you can merge,
> >  and if you don't, then linkgit:git-stash[1] can take these changes
> >  away while you're doing the merge, and reapply them afterwards.
> > diff --git a/advice.c b/advice.c
> > index 164742305f..9cbbb824a9 100644
> > --- a/advice.c
> > +++ b/advice.c
> > @@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ void detach_advice(const char *new_name)
> >   "\n"
> >   "You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental\n"
> >   "changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this\n"
> > - "state without impacting any branches by switching back to a branch.\n"
> > + "state without affecting any branches by switching back to a branch.\n"
> >   "\n"
> >   "If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may\n"
> >   "do so (now or later) by using -c with the switch command. Example:\n"
> > diff --git a/builtin/fast-import.c b/builtin/fast-import.c
> > index 3afa81cf9a..24f362d2f4 100644
> > --- a/builtin/fast-import.c
> > +++ b/builtin/fast-import.c
> > @@ -3530,7 +3530,7 @@ int cmd_fast_import(int argc, const char **argv,
> > const char *prefix)
> >   * We don't parse most options until after we've seen the set of
> >   * "feature" lines at the start of the stream (which allows the command
> >   * line to override stream data). But we must do an early parse of any
> > - * command-line options that impact how we interpret the feature lines.
> > + * command-line options that affect how we interpret the feature lines.
> >   */
> >   for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
> >   const char *arg = argv[i];
> > diff --git a/builtin/pack-objects.c b/builtin/pack-objects.c
> > index 525c2d8552..749bbca241 100644
> > --- a/builtin/pack-objects.c
> > +++ b/builtin/pack-objects.c
> > @@ -2042,7 +2042,7 @@ static void break_delta_chains(struct object_entry *entry)
> >   /*
> >   * Mark ourselves as active and see if the next step causes
> >   * us to cycle to another active object. It's important to do
> > - * this _before_ we loop, because it impacts where we make the
> > + * this _before_ we loop, because it affects where we make the
> >   * cut, and thus how our total_depth counter works.
> >   * E.g., We may see a partial loop like:
> >   *
> > diff --git a/compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h b/compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h
> > index 814845d4b3..de13121d76 100644
> > --- a/compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h
> > +++ b/compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h
> > @@ -2952,7 +2952,7 @@ static size_t traverse_and_check(mstate m);
> >  #endif /* (FOOTERS && !INSECURE) */
> >
> >
> > -/* In gcc, use __builtin_expect to minimize impact of checks */
> > +/* In gcc, use __builtin_expect to minimize affect of checks */
> >  #if !INSECURE
> >  #if defined(__GNUC__) && __GNUC__ >= 3
> >  #define RTCHECK(e)  __builtin_expect(e, 1)
> > diff --git a/contrib/coccinelle/README b/contrib/coccinelle/README
> > index f0e80bd7f0..92979ec770 100644
> > --- a/contrib/coccinelle/README
> > +++ b/contrib/coccinelle/README
> > @@ -40,4 +40,4 @@ There are two types of semantic patches:
> >     are ignored for checks, and can be applied using 'make coccicheck-pending'.
> >
> >     This allows to expose plans of pending large scale refactorings without
> > -   impacting the bad pattern checks.
> > +   affecting the bad pattern checks.
> > diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
> > index 3474e67e8f..235e26a90e 100644
> > --- a/dir.c
> > +++ b/dir.c
> > @@ -2144,7 +2144,7 @@ static enum path_treatment
> > treat_path_fast(struct dir_struct *dir,
> >   /*
> >   * We get path_recurse in the first run when
> >   * directory_exists_in_index() returns index_nonexistent. We
> > - * are sure that new changes in the index does not impact the
> > + * are sure that new changes in the index does not affect the
> >   * outcome. Return now.
> >   */
> >   return path_recurse;
> > diff --git a/t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh b/t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh
> > index d0e0e019ea..1fcb98443c 100755
> > --- a/t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh
> > +++ b/t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh
> > @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ follows.
> >
> >  The parent repository has a large number of tags which are disconnected from
> >  the rest of history. That makes them candidates for tag-following, but we never
> > -actually grab them (and thus they will impact each subsequent fetch).
> > +actually grab them (and thus they will affect each subsequent fetch).
> >
> >  The child repository is a clone of parent, without the tags, and is at least
> >  one commit behind the parent (meaning that we will fetch one object and then
> > diff --git a/t/t0008-ignores.sh b/t/t0008-ignores.sh
> > index a594b4aa7d..95daba4000 100755
> > --- a/t/t0008-ignores.sh
> > +++ b/t/t0008-ignores.sh
> > @@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ test_expect_success_multi 'needs work tree' '' '
> >  # test standard ignores
> >
> >  # First make sure that the presence of a file in the working tree
> > -# does not impact results, but that the presence of a file in the
> > +# does not affect results, but that the presence of a file in the
> >  # index does unless the --no-index option is used.
> >
> >  for subdir in '' 'a/'
> > diff --git a/t/t0303-credential-external.sh b/t/t0303-credential-external.sh
> > index f028fd1418..a9348f655a 100755
> > --- a/t/t0303-credential-external.sh
> > +++ b/t/t0303-credential-external.sh
> > @@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ test -z "$GIT_TEST_CREDENTIAL_HELPER_SETUP" ||
> >   eval "$GIT_TEST_CREDENTIAL_HELPER_SETUP"
> >
> >  # clean before the test in case there is cruft left
> > -# over from a previous run that would impact results
> > +# over from a previous run that would affect results
> >  helper_test_clean "$GIT_TEST_CREDENTIAL_HELPER"
> >
> >  helper_test "$GIT_TEST_CREDENTIAL_HELPER"
> > diff --git a/t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh b/t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh
> > index bc46713a43..568c258c5a 100755
> > --- a/t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh
> > +++ b/t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh
> > @@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ test_expect_success 'describe_detached_head prints
> > no SHA-1 ellipsis when not as
> >
> >   You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental
> >   changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this
> > - state without impacting any branches by switching back to a branch.
> > + state without affecting any branches by switching back to a branch.
> >
> >   If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may
> >   do so (now or later) by using -c with the switch command. Example:
> > @@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ test_expect_success 'describe_detached_head does
> > print SHA-1 ellipsis when asked
> >
> >   You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental
> >   changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this
> > - state without impacting any branches by switching back to a branch.
> > + state without affecting any branches by switching back to a branch.
> >
> >   If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may
> >   do so (now or later) by using -c with the switch command. Example:
> > diff --git a/t/t4013-diff-various.sh b/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
> > index 6cca8b84a6..97365a7786 100755
> > --- a/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
> > +++ b/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
> > @@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ test_expect_success setup '
> >   git checkout -f master &&
> >
> >   # Same merge as master, but with parents reversed. Hide it in a
> > - # pseudo-ref to avoid impacting tests with --all.
> > + # pseudo-ref to avoid affecting tests with --all.
> >   commit=$(echo reverse |
> >   git commit-tree -p master^2 -p master^1 master^{tree}) &&
> >   git update-ref REVERSE $commit &&
> > diff --git a/t/t5000-tar-tree.sh b/t/t5000-tar-tree.sh
> > index 7204799a0b..33a6efce2f 100755
> > --- a/t/t5000-tar-tree.sh
> > +++ b/t/t5000-tar-tree.sh
> > @@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ test_expect_success 'catch non-matching pathspec' '
> >  # Pull the size and date of each entry in a tarfile using the system tar.
> >  #
> >  # We'll pull out only the year from the date; that avoids any question of
> > -# timezones impacting the result (as long as we keep our test times away from a
> > +# timezones affecting the result (as long as we keep our test times away from a
> >  # year boundary; our reference times are all in August).
> >  #
> >  # The output of tar_info is expected to be "<size> <year>", both in decimal. It
> > diff --git a/t/test-lib-functions.sh b/t/test-lib-functions.sh
> > index 6348e8d733..ff65f86f50 100644
> > --- a/t/test-lib-functions.sh
> > +++ b/t/test-lib-functions.sh
> > @@ -1379,7 +1379,7 @@ mingw_read_file_strip_cr_ () {
> >  }
> >
> >  # Like "env FOO=BAR some-program", but run inside a subshell, which means
> > -# it also works for shell functions (though those functions cannot impact
> > +# it also works for shell functions (though those functions cannot affect
> >  # the environment outside of the test_env invocation).
> >  test_env () {
> >   (
> > --
> > 2.17.1
> >
> >
> > From varun Mon Apr  5 16:45:37 2021
> > Return-Path: <varun>
> > Received: (from varun@localhost)
> > by black-diamond (8.15.2/8.15.2/Submit) id 135LjbIS027022;
> > Mon, 5 Apr 2021 16:45:37 -0500
> > From: Varun Varada <varuncvarada@gmail.com>
> > To: git@vger.kernel.org
> > Cc: Varun Varada <varuncvarada@gmail.com>
> > Subject: [PATCH] doc: replace jargon word "impact" with "effect"/"affect"
> > Date: Mon,  5 Apr 2021 16:44:35 -0500
> > Message-Id: <20210405214435.26979-1-varuncvarada@gmail.com>
> > X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.17.1
> >
> > There are a bunch of places in the code/docs which use the word "impact"
> > incorrectly. This is especially true of places where it says "will not
> > impact", which suggests that it might have an effect, albeit not as
> > strong of a one. This commit replaces all of these with their
> > appropriate alternative so that the docs not only does not use jargon,
> > but are also unambiguous.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Varun Varada <varuncvarada@gmail.com>
> > ---
> >  Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt              |  2 +-
> >  Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt                |  2 +-
> >  Documentation/config/pack.txt                      |  2 +-
> >  Documentation/git-fast-import.txt                  | 14 +++++++-------
> >  Documentation/git-fetch.txt                        |  2 +-
> >  .../technical/hash-function-transition.txt         |  2 +-
> >  Documentation/user-manual.txt                      |  4 ++--
> >  advice.c                                           |  2 +-
> >  builtin/fast-import.c                              |  2 +-
> >  builtin/pack-objects.c                             |  2 +-
> >  compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h                        |  2 +-
> >  contrib/coccinelle/README                          |  2 +-
> >  dir.c                                              |  2 +-
> >  t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh                         |  2 +-
> >  t/t0008-ignores.sh                                 |  2 +-
> >  t/t0303-credential-external.sh                     |  2 +-
> >  t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh                         |  4 ++--
> >  t/t4013-diff-various.sh                            |  2 +-
> >  t/t5000-tar-tree.sh                                |  2 +-
> >  t/test-lib-functions.sh                            |  2 +-
> >  20 files changed, 28 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt
> > b/Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt
> > index af0a9da62e..8372a7e59e 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/MyFirstContribution.txt
> > @@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ Now that you have a usage hint, you can teach Git
> > how to show it in the general
> >  command list shown by `git help git` or `git help -a`, which is generated from
> >  `command-list.txt`. Find the line for 'git-pull' so you can add your 'git-psuh'
> >  line above it in alphabetical order. Now, we can add some attributes about the
> > -command which impacts where it shows up in the aforementioned help
> > commands. The
> > +command which affects where it shows up in the aforementioned help
> > commands. The
> >  top of `command-list.txt` shares some information about what each attribute
> >  means; in those help pages, the commands are sorted according to these
> >  attributes. `git psuh` is user-facing, or porcelain - so we will mark it as
> > diff --git a/Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt
> > b/Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt
> > index 2d10eea7a9..fd5bb8fb7d 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/MyFirstObjectWalk.txt
> > @@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ Count all the objects within and modify the print statement:
> >  By running your walk with and without the filter, you should find
> > that the total
> >  object count in each case is identical. You can also time each invocation of
> >  the `walken` subcommand, with and without `omitted` being passed in, to confirm
> > -to yourself the runtime impact of tracking all omitted objects.
> > +to yourself the runtime effect of tracking all omitted objects.
> >
> >  === Changing the Order
> >
> > diff --git a/Documentation/config/pack.txt b/Documentation/config/pack.txt
> > index 3da4ea98e2..00fcc9d7c7 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/config/pack.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/config/pack.txt
> > @@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ pack.deltaCacheSize::
> >   This cache is used to speed up the writing object phase by not
> >   having to recompute the final delta result once the best match
> >   for all objects is found.  Repacking large repositories on machines
> > - which are tight with memory might be badly impacted by this though,
> > + which are tight with memory might be badly affected by this though,
> >   especially if this cache pushes the system into swapping.
> >   A value of 0 means no limit. The smallest size of 1 byte may be
> >   used to virtually disable this cache. Defaults to 256 MiB.
> > diff --git a/Documentation/git-fast-import.txt
> > b/Documentation/git-fast-import.txt
> > index 39cfa05b28..c6d8e4e1d7 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/git-fast-import.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/git-fast-import.txt
> > @@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ OPTIONS
> >   allowing fast-import to access the filesystem outside of the
> >   repository). These options are disabled by default, but can be
> >   allowed by providing this option on the command line.  This
> > - currently impacts only the `export-marks`, `import-marks`, and
> > + currently affects only the `export-marks`, `import-marks`, and
> >   `import-marks-if-exists` feature commands.
> >  +
> >   Only enable this option if you trust the program generating the
> > @@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ that contains SP the path must be quoted.
> >
> >  A `filecopy` command takes effect immediately.  Once the source
> >  location has been copied to the destination any future commands
> > -applied to the source location will not impact the destination of
> > +applied to the source location will not affect the destination of
> >  the copy.
> >
> >  `filerename`
> > @@ -708,7 +708,7 @@ that contains SP the path must be quoted.
> >  A `filerename` command takes effect immediately.  Once the source
> >  location has been renamed to the destination any future commands
> >  applied to the source location will create new files there and not
> > -impact the destination of the rename.
> > +affect the destination of the rename.
> >
> >  Note that a `filerename` is the same as a `filecopy` followed by a
> >  `filedelete` of the source location.  There is a slight performance
> > @@ -1010,7 +1010,7 @@ The `LF` after the command is optional (it used
> > to be required).
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~
> >  Causes fast-import to print the entire `progress` line unmodified to
> >  its standard output channel (file descriptor 1) when the command is
> > -processed from the input stream.  The command otherwise has no impact
> > +processed from the input stream.  The command otherwise has no effect
> >  on the current import, or on any of fast-import's internal state.
> >
> >  ....
> > @@ -1035,7 +1035,7 @@ can safely access the refs that fast-import updated.
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~
> >  Causes fast-import to print the SHA-1 corresponding to a mark to
> >  stdout or to the file descriptor previously arranged with the
> > -`--cat-blob-fd` argument. The command otherwise has no impact on the
> > +`--cat-blob-fd` argument. The command otherwise has no effect on the
> >  current import; its purpose is to retrieve SHA-1s that later commits
> >  might want to refer to in their commit messages.
> >
> > @@ -1050,7 +1050,7 @@ this output safely.
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~
> >  Causes fast-import to print a blob to a file descriptor previously
> >  arranged with the `--cat-blob-fd` argument.  The command otherwise
> > -has no impact on the current import; its main purpose is to
> > +has no effect on the current import; its main purpose is to
> >  retrieve blobs that may be in fast-import's memory but not
> >  accessible from the target repository.
> >
> > @@ -1366,7 +1366,7 @@ code considerably.
> >
> >  The branch LRU builtin to fast-import tends to behave very well, and the
> >  cost of activating an inactive branch is so low that bouncing around
> > -between branches has virtually no impact on import performance.
> > +between branches has virtually no effect on import performance.
> >
> >  Handling Renames
> >  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > diff --git a/Documentation/git-fetch.txt b/Documentation/git-fetch.txt
> > index 9067c2079e..01cf3b3d16 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/git-fetch.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/git-fetch.txt
> > @@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ on remotes that have themselves deleted those branches.
> >  If left to accumulate, these stale references might make performance
> >  worse on big and busy repos that have a lot of branch churn, and
> >  e.g. make the output of commands like `git branch -a --contains
> > -<commit>` needlessly verbose, as well as impacting anything else
> > +<commit>` needlessly verbose, as well as affecting anything else
> >  that'll work with the complete set of known references.
> >
> >  These remote-tracking references can be deleted as a one-off with
> > diff --git a/Documentation/technical/hash-function-transition.txt
> > b/Documentation/technical/hash-function-transition.txt
> > index 7c1630bf83..f4296faffc 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/technical/hash-function-transition.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/technical/hash-function-transition.txt
> > @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ mitigations.
> >
> >  If SHA-1 and its variants were to be truly broken, Git's hash function
> >  could not be considered cryptographically secure any more. This would
> > -impact the communication of hash values because we could not trust
> > +affect the communication of hash values because we could not trust
> >  that a given hash value represented the known good version of content
> >  that the speaker intended.
> >
> > diff --git a/Documentation/user-manual.txt b/Documentation/user-manual.txt
> > index fd480b8645..33c60c49d7 100644
> > --- a/Documentation/user-manual.txt
> > +++ b/Documentation/user-manual.txt
> > @@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ Note: checking out 'v2.6.17'.
> >
> >  You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental
> >  changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this
> > -state without impacting any branches by performing another switch.
> > +state without affecting any branches by performing another switch.
> >
> >  If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may
> >  do so (now or later) by using -c with the switch command again. Example:
> > @@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ their histories forked. The work tree is
> > overwritten by the result of
> >  the merge when this combining is done cleanly, or overwritten by a
> >  half-merged results when this combining results in conflicts.
> >  Therefore, if you have uncommitted changes touching the same files as
> > -the ones impacted by the merge, Git will refuse to proceed. Most of
> > +the ones affected by the merge, Git will refuse to proceed. Most of
> >  the time, you will want to commit your changes before you can merge,
> >  and if you don't, then linkgit:git-stash[1] can take these changes
> >  away while you're doing the merge, and reapply them afterwards.
> > diff --git a/advice.c b/advice.c
> > index 164742305f..9cbbb824a9 100644
> > --- a/advice.c
> > +++ b/advice.c
> > @@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ void detach_advice(const char *new_name)
> >   "\n"
> >   "You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental\n"
> >   "changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this\n"
> > - "state without impacting any branches by switching back to a branch.\n"
> > + "state without affecting any branches by switching back to a branch.\n"
> >   "\n"
> >   "If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may\n"
> >   "do so (now or later) by using -c with the switch command. Example:\n"
> > diff --git a/builtin/fast-import.c b/builtin/fast-import.c
> > index 3afa81cf9a..24f362d2f4 100644
> > --- a/builtin/fast-import.c
> > +++ b/builtin/fast-import.c
> > @@ -3530,7 +3530,7 @@ int cmd_fast_import(int argc, const char **argv,
> > const char *prefix)
> >   * We don't parse most options until after we've seen the set of
> >   * "feature" lines at the start of the stream (which allows the command
> >   * line to override stream data). But we must do an early parse of any
> > - * command-line options that impact how we interpret the feature lines.
> > + * command-line options that affect how we interpret the feature lines.
> >   */
> >   for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
> >   const char *arg = argv[i];
> > diff --git a/builtin/pack-objects.c b/builtin/pack-objects.c
> > index 525c2d8552..749bbca241 100644
> > --- a/builtin/pack-objects.c
> > +++ b/builtin/pack-objects.c
> > @@ -2042,7 +2042,7 @@ static void break_delta_chains(struct object_entry *entry)
> >   /*
> >   * Mark ourselves as active and see if the next step causes
> >   * us to cycle to another active object. It's important to do
> > - * this _before_ we loop, because it impacts where we make the
> > + * this _before_ we loop, because it affects where we make the
> >   * cut, and thus how our total_depth counter works.
> >   * E.g., We may see a partial loop like:
> >   *
> > diff --git a/compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h b/compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h
> > index 814845d4b3..de13121d76 100644
> > --- a/compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h
> > +++ b/compat/nedmalloc/malloc.c.h
> > @@ -2952,7 +2952,7 @@ static size_t traverse_and_check(mstate m);
> >  #endif /* (FOOTERS && !INSECURE) */
> >
> >
> > -/* In gcc, use __builtin_expect to minimize impact of checks */
> > +/* In gcc, use __builtin_expect to minimize affect of checks */
> >  #if !INSECURE
> >  #if defined(__GNUC__) && __GNUC__ >= 3
> >  #define RTCHECK(e)  __builtin_expect(e, 1)
> > diff --git a/contrib/coccinelle/README b/contrib/coccinelle/README
> > index f0e80bd7f0..92979ec770 100644
> > --- a/contrib/coccinelle/README
> > +++ b/contrib/coccinelle/README
> > @@ -40,4 +40,4 @@ There are two types of semantic patches:
> >     are ignored for checks, and can be applied using 'make coccicheck-pending'.
> >
> >     This allows to expose plans of pending large scale refactorings without
> > -   impacting the bad pattern checks.
> > +   affecting the bad pattern checks.
> > diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
> > index 3474e67e8f..235e26a90e 100644
> > --- a/dir.c
> > +++ b/dir.c
> > @@ -2144,7 +2144,7 @@ static enum path_treatment
> > treat_path_fast(struct dir_struct *dir,
> >   /*
> >   * We get path_recurse in the first run when
> >   * directory_exists_in_index() returns index_nonexistent. We
> > - * are sure that new changes in the index does not impact the
> > + * are sure that new changes in the index does not affect the
> >   * outcome. Return now.
> >   */
> >   return path_recurse;
> > diff --git a/t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh b/t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh
> > index d0e0e019ea..1fcb98443c 100755
> > --- a/t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh
> > +++ b/t/perf/p5550-fetch-tags.sh
> > @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ follows.
> >
> >  The parent repository has a large number of tags which are disconnected from
> >  the rest of history. That makes them candidates for tag-following, but we never
> > -actually grab them (and thus they will impact each subsequent fetch).
> > +actually grab them (and thus they will affect each subsequent fetch).
> >
> >  The child repository is a clone of parent, without the tags, and is at least
> >  one commit behind the parent (meaning that we will fetch one object and then
> > diff --git a/t/t0008-ignores.sh b/t/t0008-ignores.sh
> > index a594b4aa7d..95daba4000 100755
> > --- a/t/t0008-ignores.sh
> > +++ b/t/t0008-ignores.sh
> > @@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ test_expect_success_multi 'needs work tree' '' '
> >  # test standard ignores
> >
> >  # First make sure that the presence of a file in the working tree
> > -# does not impact results, but that the presence of a file in the
> > +# does not affect results, but that the presence of a file in the
> >  # index does unless the --no-index option is used.
> >
> >  for subdir in '' 'a/'
> > diff --git a/t/t0303-credential-external.sh b/t/t0303-credential-external.sh
> > index f028fd1418..a9348f655a 100755
> > --- a/t/t0303-credential-external.sh
> > +++ b/t/t0303-credential-external.sh
> > @@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ test -z "$GIT_TEST_CREDENTIAL_HELPER_SETUP" ||
> >   eval "$GIT_TEST_CREDENTIAL_HELPER_SETUP"
> >
> >  # clean before the test in case there is cruft left
> > -# over from a previous run that would impact results
> > +# over from a previous run that would affect results
> >  helper_test_clean "$GIT_TEST_CREDENTIAL_HELPER"
> >
> >  helper_test "$GIT_TEST_CREDENTIAL_HELPER"
> > diff --git a/t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh b/t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh
> > index bc46713a43..568c258c5a 100755
> > --- a/t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh
> > +++ b/t/t2020-checkout-detach.sh
> > @@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ test_expect_success 'describe_detached_head prints
> > no SHA-1 ellipsis when not as
> >
> >   You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental
> >   changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this
> > - state without impacting any branches by switching back to a branch.
> > + state without affecting any branches by switching back to a branch.
> >
> >   If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may
> >   do so (now or later) by using -c with the switch command. Example:
> > @@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ test_expect_success 'describe_detached_head does
> > print SHA-1 ellipsis when asked
> >
> >   You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental
> >   changes and commit them, and you can discard any commits you make in this
> > - state without impacting any branches by switching back to a branch.
> > + state without affecting any branches by switching back to a branch.
> >
> >   If you want to create a new branch to retain commits you create, you may
> >   do so (now or later) by using -c with the switch command. Example:
> > diff --git a/t/t4013-diff-various.sh b/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
> > index 6cca8b84a6..97365a7786 100755
> > --- a/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
> > +++ b/t/t4013-diff-various.sh
> > @@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ test_expect_success setup '
> >   git checkout -f master &&
> >
> >   # Same merge as master, but with parents reversed. Hide it in a
> > - # pseudo-ref to avoid impacting tests with --all.
> > + # pseudo-ref to avoid affecting tests with --all.
> >   commit=$(echo reverse |
> >   git commit-tree -p master^2 -p master^1 master^{tree}) &&
> >   git update-ref REVERSE $commit &&
> > diff --git a/t/t5000-tar-tree.sh b/t/t5000-tar-tree.sh
> > index 7204799a0b..33a6efce2f 100755
> > --- a/t/t5000-tar-tree.sh
> > +++ b/t/t5000-tar-tree.sh
> > @@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ test_expect_success 'catch non-matching pathspec' '
> >  # Pull the size and date of each entry in a tarfile using the system tar.
> >  #
> >  # We'll pull out only the year from the date; that avoids any question of
> > -# timezones impacting the result (as long as we keep our test times away from a
> > +# timezones affecting the result (as long as we keep our test times away from a
> >  # year boundary; our reference times are all in August).
> >  #
> >  # The output of tar_info is expected to be "<size> <year>", both in decimal. It
> > diff --git a/t/test-lib-functions.sh b/t/test-lib-functions.sh
> > index 6348e8d733..ff65f86f50 100644
> > --- a/t/test-lib-functions.sh
> > +++ b/t/test-lib-functions.sh
> > @@ -1379,7 +1379,7 @@ mingw_read_file_strip_cr_ () {
> >  }
> >
> >  # Like "env FOO=BAR some-program", but run inside a subshell, which means
> > -# it also works for shell functions (though those functions cannot impact
> > +# it also works for shell functions (though those functions cannot affect
> >  # the environment outside of the test_env invocation).
> >  test_env () {
> >   (
> > --
> > 2.17.1
> >