Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Prefixes (was Re: Gravity and pi)



On Sun, 15 Nov 1998, Mark Sylvester wrote:

At 20:58 14/11/98 -0600, oliver wendell holmes wrote:
(actually Paul Johnson?)

I do have a problem with micro. It was very easy for me as a student to
differentiate between a micron (a millionth of a meter) and a micrometer
(an instrument for measuring sizes accurately). Now we ask our students
to differentiate between a micrometer and a micrometer.


According to my dictionary, the instrument is pronounced with the emphasis
on the second syllable mi-KRAM-e-eter (the "a: as in "about"), while the
unit is (as are all metric units) pronounced with emphasis on the first
syllable MI-kro-meter Admittedly, my dictionary isn't the most recent.
Even this dictionary recommendation is at variance with the general rule
for metric units which would have us pronounce the unit MICRO-meter

We don't pronounce kilogram with the accent on log or
kilopascal with the accent on lop. Why don't people pronounce kilometer
with the accent on kil?

Because most people are too lazy to use their dictionaries, and many
teachers are also. Granted that English is an evolving language, and
change is expected, and necessary. Some evolution toward more consistency
and logic would be a welcome development. But change in English comes
about not because of reasoned, thoughtful consideration by language
specialists or those with acknowledged skill and fluency with the
language. It comes about from the usage of overwhelming numbers of
people who are not only ignorant of "standard English" but contemptuous of
it and all other "rules". This kind of change is fueled by radio and TV
personalities whose own education is limited, and who pander to popular
tastes and styles. The evidence that this change is largely frivolous is
the fact that so many of these changes die so quickly. Really necessary or
useful changes would be expected to last somewhat longer.

As an example of changes which improve matters, I note the rules for
abbreviations. When I was in school you abbreviated "revoltuions per
minute" as "R. P. M." Now, it is "rpm". The present rule is that you omit
the periods if doing so causes no confusion, and gratuitous capitalization
is not necessary. I applaud such changes in the rules, and these may be
found in good style manuals, such as "The Chicago Manual of Style", the
"Los Angeles Times Manual of Style", etc. We should encourage students to
use dictionaries, style manuals, thesauri, etc. And for physics students,
the "American Institute of Physics Style Manual." Are all of these in your
school library? Do you insist your students use them? If not, why not?

Anyway, on the matter of units, the old rule (now ancient history, I
guess) is that units with prefixes are to be pronounced with stress on the
prefix. That's consistent with the main virtue of the metric unit
system--its internal consistency. The pronounciation of "kilometer"
changed, I'd guess, because it alone does not flow gently from the tongue
of the English speaker.

-- Donald

.....................................................................
Dr. Donald E. Simanek Office: 717-893-2079
Professor of Physics FAX: 717-893-2048
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven, PA. 17745
dsimanek@eagle.lhup.edu http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek
.....................................................................