Other than for potential weasling (yes a very imprecise American term) their should be no confusion. Here are the definitions from Merriam Webster's Thesaurus, a reasonably astute source. Gary P.S. There are two other definitions of must be they didn't shed any light on the meanings being discussed but can be found at http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary <http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary> .
Main Entry: 1must Pronunciation: m&s(t), 'm&st Function: verb Inflected Form(s): present & past all persons must Etymology: Middle English moste, from Old English mOste, past indicative & subjunctive of mOtan to be allowed to, have to; akin to Old High German muozan to be allowed to, have to List-Post: [email protected] Date: before 12th century verbal auxiliary 1 a : be commanded or requested to <you must stop> b : be urged to : ought by all means to <you must read that book> 2 : be compelled by physical necessity to <man must eat to live> : be required by immediate or future need or purpose to <we must hurry to catch the bus> 3 a : be obliged to : be compelled by social considerations to <I must say you're looking well> b : be required by law, custom, or moral conscience to <we must obey the rules> c : be determined to <if you must go at least wait for me> d : be unreasonably or perversely compelled to <why must you be so stubborn> 4 : be logically inferred or supposed to <it must be time> 5 : be compelled by fate or by natural law to <what must be will be> 6 : was or were presumably certain to : was or were bound to <if he really was there I must have seen him> 7 dialect : MAY <dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=may> , SHALL <dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=shall> -- used chiefly in questions intransitive senses, archaic : to be obliged to go <I must to Coventry -- Shakespeare> , Main Entry: 2must Pronunciation: 'm&st Function: noun List-Post: [email protected] Date: 1616 1 : an imperative need or duty : REQUIREMENT <dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=requirement> 2 : an indispensable item : ESSENTIAL <dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=essential> <exercise is a must> Main Entry: shall Pronunciation: sh&l, 'shal Function: verb Inflected Form(s): past should /sh&d, 'shud/; present singular & plural shall Etymology: Middle English shal (1st & 3d sing. present indic.), from Old English sceal; akin to Old High German scal (1st & 3d singular present indicative) ought to, must, Lithuanian skola debt List-Post: [email protected] Date: before 12th century verbal auxiliary 1 archaic a : will have to : MUST <dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=must> b : will be able to : CAN <dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=can> 2 a -- used to express a command or exhortation <you shall go> b -- used in laws, regulations, or directives to express what is mandatory <it shall be unlawful to carry firearms> 3 a -- used to express what is inevitable or seems likely to happen in the future <we shall have to be ready> <we shall see> b -- used to express simple futurity <when shall we expect you> 4 -- used to express determination <they shall not pass> intransitive senses, archaic : will go <he to England shall along with you -- Shakespeare> usage From the reams of pronouncements written about the distinction between shall and will--dating back as far as the 17th century--it is clear that the rules laid down have never very accurately reflected actual usage. The nationalistic statements of 18th and 19th century British grammarians, who commonly cited the misuses of the Irish, the Scots, and occasionally the Americans, suggest that the traditional rules may have come closest to the usage of southern England. Some modern commentators believe that English usage is still the closest to the traditionally prescribed norms. Most modern commentators allow that will is more common in nearly all uses. The entries for shall and will in this dictionary show current usage. -----Original Message----- From: Douglas McKean [SMTP:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, July 19, 1999 2:51 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Product Safety Semantics John I can only try to relate safety with the extensive use of "shall" with ISO certification having gone through the lead auditor course nightmare. For ISO 9001, there's about 136 "shalls" listed. Get all your "shalls" right and you *will get* the certification. Miss a "shall" and you *will get* most likely what's called a "major". Just one major and you could lose your certification. In order to keep the certification (pass inspections), one MUST have a compliant system in place. That being said, "shall" IMO indicates something inevitable in the future as in something to do. "Must", also IMO, indicates something inevitable in the present as in something one must have now. In some respects, this is used in standards when one goes for agency testing, such as construction and performance. Once you've passed the "shalls", you move into the "musts" since having passed the shalls you now obviously must have something compliant. Man, that sounds too much like legalize. Think I'll go soak my head ... Regards, Doug At 04:07 PM 7/16/99 -0400, John Juhasz wrote: >>>> Hi group. The subject here is regarding the words 'shall' vs. 'must' in various of product safety standards (including UL 1950 3rd Ed. and EN60950). Does anyone have any insight into the definitions of these as applicable to product safety? I have heard there are differences, but no one can seem to give me an answer. Comments please. John A. Juhasz Product Qualification & Compliance Engr. Fiber Options, Inc. 80 Orville Dr. Suite 102 Bohemia, NY 11716 USA Tel: 516-567-8320 ext. 324 Fax: 516-567-8322 <<<< --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , or [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> (the list administrators). --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] (the list administrators).
