I went back to the bookstore today (one final time) to get more info on the NY Times book "Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused and Mispronounced Words", partly in response to questions asking for more info.:
The book was published in 1972 ! SURPRISE! So was I. I thought it was a newish book and had said so in one of my previous messages on the subject. It certainly appears to be a newly printed copy (it isn't a used book, for example) but there seems to be no indication that this is a new edition, and no indication that it has been updated since 1972. So, it appears to be an older book, if that is important. The book gives the pronunciation of kilometre as "KILL-uh-me-ter" (not "ki-LAH-me-ter"). That's mainly good. But I'm not happy with the indication that the second syllable is "uh"; I would prefer "KILL-oh-me-ter", but I realize that, when spoken, there is little audible difference. (I have used caps to indicate the stressed syllables.) The given spelling of litre and metre and all prefixed variations is "liter" and "meter". Too bad, but not a big issue in my mind. (I use the -re spelling myself.) I looked at a few more unit references and found some unfortunate errors or misleading statements. The word "kilocycle" is identified as "a former word for kilohertz". That is of course wrong. Kilohertz is a name for kilocycles per second, not for kilocycles. Unfortunately, this erroneous statement mirrors actual use in many cases. The word "kilovolt" is said to be a "unit of FORCE equal to 1000 volts" (emphasis is mine). Of course, volts and kilovolts are not units of force at all but are units of electric potential (also called by the somewhat archaic and misleading name "electromotive force"). In SI the newton is the unit of force. I checked to see if the volt was also listed as a unit of force and found this: "volt - a unit used in measuring electric CURRENT, equivalent to the FORCE or potential difference that will produce a steady flow of one ampere through a resistance of one ohm. (Abbrev. V, v)". The kilowatt seemed to be described properly but then one line below it I found the following definition of kilowatt-hour: "kilowatthour - a unit rate of consumption of electrical power equal to one kilowatt in one hour." Since power is the rate at which energy is consumed (or produced, etc.), the above definition says that the kilowatt-hour is "the rate or power" which means that it is THE RATE OF THE RATE of using energy, which is ridiculous. Further, the phrase "one kilowatt in one hour" in English usually means "one kilowatt PER hour", which of course is WRONG; it is one kilowatt TIMES one hour, not one kilowatt DIVIDED BY (per) hour. It has been said by others and I frequently repeat it: "A dictionary should NEVER be trusted to give the technical meaning of anything, since such a book is intended only to tell what the COMMON USAGE of the word is." Of course, "common usage" is frequently wrong; therefore, it follows that dictionaries are frequently wrong. But some of the above definitions in this book are so outlandish that I can't believe they are even used in "common use". I don't know if it is worth disussing this book much further, but I will conclude by repeating the title and editor, and giving the publisher and their address, just in case anyone else wishes to persue this further. (Note that, although the cover includes the phrase "The New York Times ..." as if it is part of the title, the official title seems to omit that and thus begins with the word "Dictionary". "Dictionary Of Misunderstood, Misused and Mispronounced Words" 377 pages, pub. 1972 edited by Laurence Urdang, published by Workman Publishing Co. 708 Broadway New York, NY 10003 Regards, Bill Hooper retired physics professor, Florida, USA -------------------------------------- "Simplification" begins with "SI" --------------------------------------
