It doesn't make sense to pass it as reference, since it's no output parameter and the function really shouldn't ever change the caller's field - thus reference isn't actually semantically correct.
As a nice by product, the compiler now can duplicate it directly from stack to stack (cached and fast) as one block (even use string ops) and do further access from there, instead of indirectly addressing one by one via slow far pointers.
Signed-off-by: Enrico Weigelt, metux IT consult info@metux.net