I agree with you on using keyword arguments, it makes it more obvious (and where there are many optional parameters, may save some typing!).
With regards to the array_column function, PHP has a history of providing such functions for common operations, even where the same functionality can be replicated with more generic code constructs. For me, the function example you provide is more readable than the comprehension example, requires less typing and provides less room for mistakes. I.E. its simpler in this case, and that’s part of the way PHP rolls. There is of course an argument that functions like this should be provided by external libraries or frameworks rather than in the core of the language, but that debate has been had many times and PHP has come down on the side of including them. This is one of the reasons developers like me like PHP. YMMV.
With regards to the array_column function, PHP has a history of providing such functions for common operations, even where the same functionality can be replicated with more generic code constructs. For me, the function example you provide is more readable than the comprehension example, requires less typing and provides less room for mistakes. I.E. its simpler in this case, and that’s part of the way PHP rolls. There is of course an argument that functions like this should be provided by external libraries or frameworks rather than in the core of the language, but that debate has been had many times and PHP has come down on the side of including them. This is one of the reasons developers like me like PHP. YMMV.