diff -r 718cddfa0292 Modules/_sre.c
--- a/Modules/_sre.c	Mon Feb 24 12:59:20 2014 -0500
+++ b/Modules/_sre.c	Mon Feb 24 22:50:56 2014 +0200
@@ -526,21 +526,57 @@
     return sre_ucs4_search(state, pattern);
 }
 
+static PyObject *
+fix_string_param(PyObject *string, PyObject *string2, const char *oldname)
+{
+    if (string2 != NULL) {
+        if (string != NULL) {
+            PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError,
+                         "Argument given by name ('%s') and position (1)",
+                         oldname);
+            return NULL;
+        }
+        if (PyErr_WarnFormat(PyExc_DeprecationWarning, 1,
+                             "The '%s' keyword parameter name is deprecated.  "
+                             "Use 'string' instead.", oldname) < 0)
+            return NULL;
+        return string2;
+    }
+    if (string == NULL) {
+        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
+                        "Required argument 'string' (pos 1) not found");
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    return string;
+}
+
 /*[clinic input]
 module _sre
 class _sre.SRE_Pattern "PatternObject *" "&Pattern_Type"
-
+[clinic start generated code]*/
+/*[clinic end generated code: output=da39a3ee5e6b4b0d input=2d33bd6d52330321]*/
+
+/*[python input]
+class hidden_object_converter(object_converter):
+    show_in_signature = False
+
+[python start generated code]*/
+/*[python end generated code: output=da39a3ee5e6b4b0d input=3ea52d58522dde2f]*/
+
+/*[clinic input]
 _sre.SRE_Pattern.match as pattern_match
 
-    pattern: object
+    string: object = NULL
     pos: Py_ssize_t = 0
     endpos: Py_ssize_t(c_default="PY_SSIZE_T_MAX") = sys.maxsize
+    *
+    pattern: hidden_object = NULL
 
 Matches zero or more characters at the beginning of the string.
 [clinic start generated code]*/
 
 PyDoc_STRVAR(pattern_match__doc__,
-"match($self, /, pattern, pos=0, endpos=sys.maxsize)\n"
+"match($self, /, string=None, pos=0, endpos=sys.maxsize,)\n"
 "--\n"
 "\n"
 "Matches zero or more characters at the beginning of the string.");
@@ -549,36 +585,39 @@
     {"match", (PyCFunction)pattern_match, METH_VARARGS|METH_KEYWORDS, pattern_match__doc__},
 
 static PyObject *
-pattern_match_impl(PatternObject *self, PyObject *pattern, Py_ssize_t pos, Py_ssize_t endpos);
+pattern_match_impl(PatternObject *self, PyObject *string, Py_ssize_t pos, Py_ssize_t endpos, PyObject *pattern);
 
 static PyObject *
 pattern_match(PatternObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
     PyObject *return_value = NULL;
-    static char *_keywords[] = {"pattern", "pos", "endpos", NULL};
-    PyObject *pattern;
+    static char *_keywords[] = {"string", "pos", "endpos", "pattern", NULL};
+    PyObject *string = NULL;
     Py_ssize_t pos = 0;
     Py_ssize_t endpos = PY_SSIZE_T_MAX;
+    PyObject *pattern = NULL;
 
     if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs,
-        "O|nn:match", _keywords,
-        &pattern, &pos, &endpos))
+        "|Onn$O:match", _keywords,
+        &string, &pos, &endpos, &pattern))
         goto exit;
-    return_value = pattern_match_impl(self, pattern, pos, endpos);
+    return_value = pattern_match_impl(self, string, pos, endpos, pattern);
 
 exit:
     return return_value;
 }
 
 static PyObject *
-pattern_match_impl(PatternObject *self, PyObject *pattern, Py_ssize_t pos, Py_ssize_t endpos)
-/*[clinic end generated code: output=1528eafdb8b025ad input=26f9fd31befe46b9]*/
+pattern_match_impl(PatternObject *self, PyObject *string, Py_ssize_t pos, Py_ssize_t endpos, PyObject *pattern)
+/*[clinic end generated code: output=7152f01712c2befe input=4b8e3c52dac8a689]*/
 {
     SRE_STATE state;
     Py_ssize_t status;
-    PyObject *string;
-
-    string = state_init(&state, (PatternObject *)self, pattern, pos, endpos);
+
+    string = fix_string_param(string, pattern, "pattern");
+    if (!string)
+        return NULL;
+    string = state_init(&state, (PatternObject *)self, string, pos, endpos);
     if (!string)
         return NULL;
 
@@ -603,12 +642,16 @@
     SRE_STATE state;
     Py_ssize_t status;
 
-    PyObject* string;
+    PyObject *string = NULL, *string2 = NULL;
     Py_ssize_t start = 0;
     Py_ssize_t end = PY_SSIZE_T_MAX;
-    static char* kwlist[] = { "pattern", "pos", "endpos", NULL };
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "O|nn:fullmatch", kwlist,
-                                     &string, &start, &end))
+    static char* kwlist[] = { "string", "pos", "endpos", "pattern", NULL };
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "|Onn$O:fullmatch", kwlist,
+                                     &string, &start, &end, &string2))
+        return NULL;
+
+    string = fix_string_param(string, string2, "pattern");
+    if (!string)
         return NULL;
 
     string = state_init(&state, self, string, start, end);
@@ -637,12 +680,16 @@
     SRE_STATE state;
     Py_ssize_t status;
 
-    PyObject* string;
+    PyObject *string = NULL, *string2 = NULL;
     Py_ssize_t start = 0;
     Py_ssize_t end = PY_SSIZE_T_MAX;
-    static char* kwlist[] = { "pattern", "pos", "endpos", NULL };
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "O|nn:search", kwlist,
-                                     &string, &start, &end))
+    static char* kwlist[] = { "string", "pos", "endpos", "pattern", NULL };
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "|Onn$O:search", kwlist,
+                                     &string, &start, &end, &string2))
+        return NULL;
+
+    string = fix_string_param(string, string2, "pattern");
+    if (!string)
         return NULL;
 
     string = state_init(&state, self, string, start, end);
@@ -718,12 +765,16 @@
     Py_ssize_t status;
     Py_ssize_t i, b, e;
 
-    PyObject* string;
+    PyObject *string = NULL, *string2 = NULL;
     Py_ssize_t start = 0;
     Py_ssize_t end = PY_SSIZE_T_MAX;
-    static char* kwlist[] = { "source", "pos", "endpos", NULL };
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "O|nn:findall", kwlist,
-                                     &string, &start, &end))
+    static char* kwlist[] = { "string", "pos", "endpos", "source", NULL };
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "|Onn$O:findall", kwlist,
+                                     &string, &start, &end, &string2))
+        return NULL;
+
+    string = fix_string_param(string, string2, "source");
+    if (!string)
         return NULL;
 
     string = state_init(&state, self, string, start, end);
@@ -840,11 +891,15 @@
     Py_ssize_t i;
     void* last;
 
-    PyObject* string;
+    PyObject *string = NULL, *string2 = NULL;
     Py_ssize_t maxsplit = 0;
-    static char* kwlist[] = { "source", "maxsplit", NULL };
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "O|n:split", kwlist,
-                                     &string, &maxsplit))
+    static char* kwlist[] = { "string", "maxsplit", "source", NULL };
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "|On$O:split", kwlist,
+                                     &string, &maxsplit, &string2))
+        return NULL;
+
+    string = fix_string_param(string, string2, "source");
+    if (!string)
         return NULL;
 
     string = state_init(&state, self, string, 0, PY_SSIZE_T_MAX);
@@ -2654,12 +2709,16 @@
 
     ScannerObject* self;
 
-    PyObject* string;
+    PyObject *string = NULL, *string2 = NULL;
     Py_ssize_t start = 0;
     Py_ssize_t end = PY_SSIZE_T_MAX;
-    static char* kwlist[] = { "source", "pos", "endpos", NULL };
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "O|nn:scanner", kwlist,
-                                     &string, &start, &end))
+    static char* kwlist[] = { "string", "pos", "endpos", "source", NULL };
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kw, "|Onn$O:scanner", kwlist,
+                                     &string, &start, &end, &string2))
+        return NULL;
+
+    string = fix_string_param(string, string2, "source");
+    if (!string)
         return NULL;
 
     /* create scanner object */