2002-12-08
----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Potts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, 2002-12-07 23:38 Subject: [USMA:23836] RE: 1 tonne pickup > John Schweisthal wrote: > Ton is only 909 kg, whereas tonne is 1000 kg. Not the same thing. > > No kidding! That was the whole point of my implied advice to Ford -- selling > the 10% greater capacity -- a point easier to make with "metric ton" than > with "tonne," which is likely to be regarded as an eccentric spelling, > rather than a different unit. I don't think the vehicles capacity stops at 1 ton. See USMA 23840. That extra 10 % may already be there. If we are going to promote the "metric ton", as opposed to such a "high-capacity" word like the tonne, let us take this a step further. Lets get rid of those other high-capacity words like kilometre, kilogram and even centimetre, etc.,and replace them with words Joe Sixpack can understand: metric mile, metric pound and metric inch, etc. Now, won't that make everybody happy? Here we go again, catering to ignorance rather then educating. It wouldn't be seen as an eccentric spelling if it was explained that there is a reason for the difference. Like, duh, the difference between a 2000 lb and 1000 kg mass. > > As for theatre and centre, they have the same number of letters as theater > and center, so it's a different issue. I understood your use of the term high-capacity not as a reflection on the number of letters in the word, but to the word being snobish in nature. Upper-class. We tend to see such spelling in areas where more "cultured" people are found and the "common" spellings used around those at the bottom of the social ladder. > > The trouble with tonne is that one is inclined to pronounce it to rhyme with > don, which is the way it's pronounced in French -- being a French word, > after all. Remember that we want to get over the strange idea that SI is, > somehow, a system being imposed by the French. I doubt Joe Sizpack and his associates would have the sense to figure out the word may be of French origin. If asked, a person of knowledge just has to say is that the word tonne is the correct spelling for 1000 kg. Everyone in the English world spells it this way. If the word is meant to be pronounced slightly different, then all the better. Not only do we have a written form that distinguishes 1000 kg from 2000 lb, we have a verbal form too. Of course, Joe Sixpack operating on <10 % brain capacity might not be able to comprehend the subtle difference. To which there is the alternative: > > However, whether tonne or metric ton prevails, the term will eventually > revert to ton (meaning, by then, 1000 kg). The alternative being that if tonne is a problem and metric ton literally sucks, then we must promote the megagram (Mg). This is in reality the true SI term. But, of course, Joe Sixpack's limited mental capacity will get in the way again and prevent this perfect term from seeing the light of day. So, being pessimistic, I'll just let the status-quo be maintained. At least for now. John > > Bill Potts, CMS > Roseville, CA > http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] > >
