> There may be cases where by-reference (yes, that's an absolutely acceptable thing to say, even in C)

I don't want to be nit-picking. But I would like to know why "by-reference" is an acceptable thing to say.

When I learnt C, C++, Java, etc. I was repeatedly told that pass by reference exists only in C++. In C, a pointer is passed by value. In Java, a reference is passed by value.

Doesn't calling "pass pointer by value" as "pass by reference" lead to confusion and distortion of the true meaning of "by reference"?