"Login" used in place of "Log In" (Grammar error)

[doug]

The wp_loginout() function in general-template.php and the form in wp-login.php incorrectly display the nouns "Login" and "Logout" instead of the verbs "Log In" and "Log Out". (This is only an error when the words are displayed to the user, not necessarily when they occur within the code itself.)

An easy way to remember the difference is to try to form a present participle. Are you "logging in" or "loginning"?

I note that trac makes the same error, while the WordPress forums do not!

[Viper007Bond]

​http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=login

A perfectly valid usage of the word.

[filosofo]

Replying to Viper007Bond:

​http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=login

A perfectly valid usage of the word.

Actually, that link shows "login" used only as a noun, not a verb.

[Viper007Bond]

Well take the form for example -- it's a "Login Form", not a "Log In Form".

[foolswisdom]

Replying to Viper007Bond:

Well take the form for example -- it's a "Login Form", not a "Log In Form".

Viper007Bond, that is another example of its use as a none. It is a much abused grammar, see facebook.com for example, but easy enough to fix ;-)

[foolswisdom]

noun*

[Viper007Bond]

I disagree. I think it is correct how it is now. "Login" isn't a mispelling of "log in", it's a completely different word and being properly used in this case IMO.

Okay, so may not be the King's English or Oxford English or whatever (it's debatable), but in terms of the Internet, I think it's correct how it is and I'm strongly opposed to changing it.

[foolswisdom]

No point in arguing with you then.

​http://www.nytimes.com/

​https://www.paypal.com/

​http://www.basecamphq.com/

[Viper007Bond]

Hmm. Then why does PayPal have "Account login"?

Don't get me wrong, I get what you guys are saying, but it just seems "wrong". It would make sense for the button on the form to say "log in" as that's what you are doing -- logging in, but the link on the homepage is taking you to the "login form" and clicking it isn't logging you in.

Or at least that's what make sense to my non-English teacher self.

[doug]

I'm not talking about Oxford English, just English. :) As you say, "log in" and "login" are different words (whether used on the Internet or not), and I think it's important to use the right one.

Replying to Viper007Bond:

It would make sense for the button on the form to say "log in" as that's what you are doing -- logging in, but the link on the homepage is taking you to the "login form" and clicking it isn't logging you in.

I'm glad you agree the button on the login form should say "Log In" because it is indeed performing an action and thus requires a verb.

As for the link on the homepage, it's less clear, but I would argue that a typical user sees this and thinks "I need to click here to log in," not "I need to click here because this takes me to the login form, which will let me log in." It's a subtle difference, but users tend to think in actions, not objects. You (or the application) would tell someone: "Log in [to do more stuff]" not "go the login form."

And again, this is the approach the WordPress forums take.

Thanks for considering.

[doug]

I've attached a patch. (Hey, my first patch ever! TortoiseSVN is very cool.) I think I found all the places 'login' and 'logout' should be changed to 'log in' and 'log out', including within the default and classic themes.

In case I need to bolster my case a bit:

• 'Log in' is used alongside (and in equivalent syntax as) the phrases "Get New Password", "Register", and "(Go) Back to blog", all of which are verb phrases.
• 'Log out' is always accompanied by the title attribute (pop-up text) "Log out of this account", confirming its status as a verb phrase.
• The Dashboard uses the similar phrase "Sign Out", which is a verb.

In addition to the above changes, I also reordered the links on the Register and Lost Password forms to be more consistent.

[ryan]

See also #1088

[lloydbudd]

Replying to ryan:

See also #1088

That is a different issue. This is the verb form, or should have been, instead the noun was used.

[ryan]

Understood, just adding for history. We use username as the noun.

[ryan]

So now we can argue about "Log in" versus "Log In" versus "Sign in" versus "Sign In".

[ryan]

(In [6343]) Use 'Log in' instead of 'Login' for verb form. Props doug. see #5296

[ryan]

Went with doug's patch for now. If we're all cool with "Log in", then close this as fixed.