Preface(前言）

Preface(前言)
The computing world has undergone a revolution since the publication of the C Programming Language in 1978.(自从1978年《C程序设计语言》发行以来计算世界已经经历了一场革命。)Big computers are much bigger,and personal computers have capabilities that rival mainframes of a decade ago.（大计算机赿来越大，并且个人计算机具有比得上十年前的大型机的能力。）During this time,C has changed too, although only modestly,and it has spread far beyond its origins as the language of the UNIX operating system.(在此期间，C语言已经发生了改变，尽管仅仅很小程度，且它已经超过它作为UNUX操作系统语言的起源得到了广泛传播。)
The growing popularity of C,the changes in the language over the years,and the creation of compilers by groups not involved in its design,combined to demonstrate a need for a more precise and more contemporary definition of the language than the first edition of this book provided.(语言的日益流行，这门语言多年来的变化，以及没有参与其设计的团体创建的编译器，结合起来表明需要比本书第一版提供的更精确和更现代的语言定义。)In 1983,the American National Standards Institute(ANSI) established a commitee whose goal was to produce “an unambiguous and machine-independent definition of the language C,”while still retaining its spirit.The result is the ANSI standard for C.(1983年，美国国家标准学会建立了一个目标为产生“不含糊的、不依赖机器的C语言定义”的委员会，同时还保留它的精神。结果是C语言的ANSI标准。)
The standard formalizes constructions that were hinted at but not described in the first edition,particularly structure assignment and enumerations.(标准使在第一版中暗示但没有描述的语法结构形式化，尤其是构造分配和列举。)It provides a new form of function declaration that permits cross-checking of definition with use.(它提供了一种允许反复核对使用的定义的函数宣言的新形式。)It specifies a standard library,with an extensive set of functions for performing input and output,memory management,string manipulation,and similar tasks.(它指定一个有大量的执行输入和输出的函数组、内存管理、线程控制、及类似任务的标准库。)It makes precise the behavior of features that were not spelled out in the original definition,and at the same time states explicitly which aspects of the language remain machine-dependent. (它使没有在原先定义中详细说明的特征行为精确，同时清楚明确地说明语言的哪些方面保持机器依赖。)
This second edition of The C Programming Language describes C as defined by the ANSI standard.(C编程语言的这个第二版描述按ANSI标准定义的C。)Although we have noted the places where the language has evolved,we have chosen to write exclusively in the new form.(尽管我们已经注意到了语言已经进化的地方，我们专门地选择以新的形式写。)For the most part,this makes no significant difference; the most visible change is the new form of function declaration and definition.(对于绝大部分，这没有明显区别；最明显的变化是函数申明的新的形式和定义。)Modern compilers already support most features of the standard.(现代的编译程序已经支持标准的大部分特点。)
We have tried to retain the brevity of the first edition.(我们试图保持第一版的简洁。)C is not a big language,and it is not well served by a big book.(C语言不一个大的语言，并且不能通过 一本大的书来很好地提供。)We have improved the exposition of critical features(我们已经改善了关键特点的阐述),such as pointers,that are central to C programming.(比如对C语言编程起关键作用的指针。)We have refined the original examples,and have added new examples in several chapters.(我们改善了原先的例子，并且在几章中增加了新的例子。)For instance,the treatment of complicated declarations is augmented by programs that convert declarations into words and vice versa.(例如，由转换声明为字词和转换字词为申明的程序提供的复杂申明的处理增广了。)As before,all example have been tested directly from the text,which is in machine-readable form.(如以前一样，所有的例子已经直接从机器可读形式的文本测试过。)
Appendix A,the reference manual,is not the standard,but our attempt to convey the essentials of the standard in a small space.(附录A，参考手册，不是标准，但我们努力在一个小的空间传递标准的必不可少的东西。)It meant for easy comprehension by programmers,but not as a definition for compiler writers—— that role properly belongs to the standard itself.(它为了程序员易于理解面设计，但不作为编译程序作者（属于标准自己的合适角色）的一个定义)。Appendix B is a summary of the facilities of the standard library.(附录B是一个标准库设备的概述。)It too is meant for reference by programmers,not implementers.(它也是为程序员参考设计，不是实现器。)Appendix C is a concise summary of the changes from the original version.(附录C是一个从原版的变化的概述。)
As we said in the preface to the first edition,C “wears well as one`s experience with it grows.”with a decade more experience,we still feel that way.(我们在第一版前言中说过，C“随着它成长历久弥新”，经过十多年的经历，我们仍有这样的感觉。)We hope that this book will help you to learn C and use it well.(我希望这本书有助于你学习C语言并用好它。)
We are deeply indebted to friends who helped us to produce this second edition.(我们深深地感激帮助我们制作这第二版的朋友们。)Jon Bentley(乔恩 宾利),Doug Gwyn(道格 格温)，Doug McIlroy(道格 麦基尔罗伊)，Peter Nelson(彼得 尼尔森),and Rob Pike(以及罗勃 派克)gave us perceptive comments on almost every page of draft manuscripts.(在几乎每一页手拟的原稿给予了我们具有洞察力的评论。)We are grateful for careful reading by Al Aho,Dennis Allison,Joe Campbell,G.R.Emlin,Karen Fortgang,Allen Holub,Andrew Hume,Dave Kristol,John Linderman,Dave Prosser,Gene Spafford,and Chris Van Wyk.(我们对艾尔·阿霍、丹尼斯·艾立逊、乔·坎贝尔、G.R.艾姆林、卡伦·神福特甘、阿伦·赫鲁伯，安德鲁·休姆、戴夫·克里斯托尔、约翰·林德曼、戴夫·普罗塞、基恩·斯帕福德、克里斯·冯·Wyk的仔细阅读感激不尽。)We also received helpful suggestions from Bill Cheswick,Mark Kernighan,Andy Koenig,Robin Lake,Tom London,Jim Reeds,Clovis Tondo,and Peter Weinberger.(我们也接受了来自比尔·克斯威克、马克·克尼汉、安迪·凯尼格、罗宾·莱克、汤姆·伦敦、吉姆·里兹、克罗维斯·通多和彼得·温伯格的有益的建议。)Dave Prosser answered many detailed queations about the ANSI standard.(戴夫·普罗塞回答了许多有关ANSI标准的放多细节问题。)we used Bjarne Stroustrup’s C++ translator extensively for local testing of our programs,and Dave Kristol provided us with an ANSI C compiler for final testing.(我们用本贾尼·斯特劳斯特卢普的C++ 翻译程序广泛对我们的程序进行了局部测试，且戴夫·克里斯托尔为我们最终测试提供了一个ANSI 编译程序。)Rich Drechsler helped greatly with typesetting.(里克·德雷克斯勒对排版帮助极大。)
Our sincere thanks to all.(衷心感谢大家。)

Brian W.Kernighan(布莱恩 W.克尼汉)
Dennis M. Ritchie（丹尼斯·M.里奇）