Dear Madan, It is not quite true to say that there are no international standards for million, billion, and trillion. ISO 1000:1998 has made another attempt at defining these terms. The problem seems to be that the definitions are not readily accepted.
It seems to me that one of the issues in this is the difference between the ways that the word definition is defined. Now, that's an odd thing to say so let me explain. When writers of standards (almost always a group) approach the task of writing a definition they do so with the idea of writing a definition that will define a word so that it will have the same meaning 'for all people, for all time.' Consider the word 'metre' as a good example. When a writer of a dictionary (often an individual) approaches the task of writing a definition they do so on the basis of the dictionary writer's art � 'On Historical Principles'. They have no intention of defining a word so that its meaning will stay the same through time � they are simply recording the way the word has been used in the past. And each original user takes a similar view to Lewis Carroll's caterpillar, who said to Alice, 'The words shall mean what I want them to mean; nothing more or less'. Consider the word 'power' as a good example. In short standards writers are prescriptive and dictionary writers are descriptive. I sometimes think that the very common expression 'dictionary definition' is an oxymoron. Cheers, Pat Naughtin Geelong, Australia > Hi Pat > > Unfortunately there is no SI standard for terms > like million, billion, etc. > > We can say M$, G$, etc, but can we say > megapeople, megaautos, etc > But I support mega & giga instead of million, billion, > etc. > > Madan
