What's the rationale for preventing assignment to arrays?

Question

I\'ve tried to google this and have read:

• Why can\'t arrays of same type and size be assigned?
• Assigning arrays
• Assign to array in struct in

Answer 1

The answer is simple: It never was allowed before the committee got involved (even struct-assignment was considered too heavy), and considering there's array-decay, allowing it would have all kinds of interesting consequences.

Let's see what would change:

int a[3], b[3], *c = b, *d = b;
a = b; // Currently error, would assign elements
a = c; // Currently error, might assign array of 3?
c = a; // Currently pointer assignment with array decay
c = d; // Currently pointer assignemnt

So, allowing array-assignment would make (up to) two currently disallowed assignments valid.

That's not the trouble though, it's that near-identical expressions would have wildly different results.

That gets especially piquant if you consider that array-notation in function arguments is currently just a different notation for pointers.
If array assignment was introduced, that would become even more confusing.
Not that enough people aren't completely confounded by things as they are today...

int g(int* x);  // Function receiving pointer to int and returning int
int f(int x[3]);// Currently the same. What afterwards? Change to value-copy?