I often find myself accenting the second syllable because I have heard
it pronounced that way all my life. I then correct myself later in
conversation and accent the first syllable as soon as I realize what I
have done. Old habits are difficult to break. I distinctly remember
watching that old Carl Sagan Cosmos series and hearing Mr Sagan
invariably give accent to first syllable and thinking to myself, Why
is he pronouncing it that way? I try to pronounce kilometer with
first-syllable accent now thanks to this and several other messages
from the United States Metric Association. I appreciate attention to
detail. Thanks to all who work so hard at United States metrication
efforts.
David Pearl MetricPioneer.com 503-428-4917
----- Message from mech...@illinois.edu ---------
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:19:48 +0000
From: "mechtly, eugene a" <mech...@illinois.edu>
Reply-To: mech...@illinois.edu
Subject: [USMA:53563] No Accent on "lom" in kilometer!
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu>
Cc: "mechtly, eugene a" <mech...@illinois.edu>
The CGPM does not publish an official "Guide for Pronouncing the
Names and Multiples of SI Units."
Nevertheless, I am confident that members of the CIPM (and CGPM)
would reject an accent on the "lom" in the word kilometer.
NBC commentators at the SUCHI Olympic events, *all* seem to have
adopted this bad practice of accenting the "lom."
Who initiated this *deviation* from the established global practice
of enunciating both the prefix "kilo" and the stem "meter"?
In spoken French and German there is no accented "lom" in kilometer!
Is "lom" accented in any other languages which you might speak?
Eugene Mechtly
----- End message from mech...@illinois.edu -----
