diff --git a/libguile/ChangeLog b/libguile/ChangeLog
index 8386ac49c..a5f910f80 100644
--- a/libguile/ChangeLog
+++ b/libguile/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+2000-10-06  Dirk Herrmann  <D.Herrmann@tu-bs.de>
+
+	* continuations.h (SCM_CONTINUATION_LENGTH), strings.h
+	(SCM_STRING_LENGTH), symbols.h (SCM_SYMBOL_LENGTH), unif.h
+	(SCM_UVECTOR_LENGTH, SCM_BITVECTOR_LENGTH), vectors.h
+	(SCM_VECTOR_LENGTH):  Added as replacements for SCM_LENGTH.
+
 2000-10-02  Marius Vollmer  <mvo@zagadka.ping.de>
 
 	* coop-defs.h (coop_key_create): Don't use the C++ keyword
diff --git a/libguile/continuations.h b/libguile/continuations.h
index 133eb9804..11aa75c5a 100644
--- a/libguile/continuations.h
+++ b/libguile/continuations.h
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ typedef struct
 
 #define SCM_CONTREGS(x)		((scm_contregs *) SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x))	 
 #define SCM_SET_CONTREGS(x, r)	(SCM_SET_CELL_WORD_1 ((x), (scm_bits_t) (r))) 
+#define SCM_CONTINUATION_LENGTH(x) (((unsigned long) SCM_CELL_WORD_0 (x)) >> 8)
 
 #define SCM_JMPBUF(x)		((SCM_CONTREGS (x))->jmpbuf)
 #define SCM_DYNENV(x)		((SCM_CONTREGS (x))->dynenv)
diff --git a/libguile/strings.h b/libguile/strings.h
index c13ccfda3..6cc64aa5b 100644
--- a/libguile/strings.h
+++ b/libguile/strings.h
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 #define SCM_STRINGP(x) (SCM_NIMP (x) && (SCM_TYP7S (x) == scm_tc7_string))
 #define SCM_STRING_UCHARS(x) ((unsigned char *) (SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x)))
 #define SCM_STRING_CHARS(x) ((char *) (SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x)))
+#define SCM_STRING_LENGTH(x) (((unsigned long) SCM_CELL_WORD_0 (x)) >> 8)
 
 /* Is X a writable string (i.e., not a substring)?  */
 #define SCM_RWSTRINGP(x) (SCM_NIMP (x) && (SCM_TYP7 (x) == scm_tc7_string))
diff --git a/libguile/symbols.h b/libguile/symbols.h
index d974a506b..64b319c25 100644
--- a/libguile/symbols.h
+++ b/libguile/symbols.h
@@ -52,13 +52,14 @@
 
 extern int scm_symhash_dim;
 
-/* SCM_LENGTH(SYM) is the length of SYM's name in characters, and
+/* SCM_SYMBOL_LENGTH(SYM) is the length of SYM's name in characters, and
  * SCM_SYMBOL_CHARS(SYM) is the address of the first character of SYM's name.
  */
 
 #define SCM_SYMBOLP(x)	(SCM_NIMP (x) && (SCM_TYP7 (x) == scm_tc7_symbol))
 #define SCM_SYMBOL_UCHARS(x)  ((unsigned char *) (SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x)))
 #define SCM_SYMBOL_CHARS(x)  ((char *) (SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x)))
+#define SCM_SYMBOL_LENGTH(x)  (((unsigned long) SCM_CELL_WORD_0 (x)) >> 8)
 
 #define SCM_LENGTH_MAX		(0xffffffL)
 #define SCM_LENGTH(x)		(((unsigned long) SCM_CELL_WORD_0 (x)) >> 8)
diff --git a/libguile/unif.h b/libguile/unif.h
index 32f0317a4..4a9f5ede1 100644
--- a/libguile/unif.h
+++ b/libguile/unif.h
@@ -87,6 +87,9 @@ extern long scm_tc16_array;
 #define SCM_ARRAY_DIMS(a) ((scm_array_dim *)((char *) SCM_ARRAY_MEM (a) + sizeof (scm_array))) 
 
 #define SCM_UVECTOR_BASE(x) ((void *) (SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x)))
+#define SCM_UVECTOR_LENGTH(x) (((unsigned long) SCM_CELL_WORD_0 (x)) >> 8)
+
+#define SCM_BITVECTOR_LENGTH(x) (((unsigned long) SCM_CELL_WORD_0 (x)) >> 8)
 
 /* apparently it's possible to have more than SCM_LENGTH_MAX elements
    in an array: if the length is SCM_LENGTH_MAX then the SCM_VELTS
diff --git a/libguile/vectors.h b/libguile/vectors.h
index 3e8708472..f995da3e8 100644
--- a/libguile/vectors.h
+++ b/libguile/vectors.h
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@
 
 #define SCM_VECTORP(x) (SCM_NIMP (x) && (SCM_TYP7S (x) == scm_tc7_vector))
 #define SCM_VECTOR_BASE(x) ((scm_bits_t *) SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x))
+#define SCM_VECTOR_LENGTH(x) (((unsigned long) SCM_CELL_WORD_0 (x)) >> 8)
+
 #define SCM_VELTS(x) ((SCM *) SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x))
 #define SCM_VELTS_AS_STACKITEMS(x) ((SCM_STACKITEM *) SCM_CELL_WORD_1 (x))
 #define SCM_SETVELTS(x,v) (SCM_SET_CELL_WORD_1 ((x), (v)))