On 25/03/06 10:02 AM, "Pierre Abbat" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On Friday 24 March 2006 15:42, Martin Vlietstra wrote: >> According to Chambers Dictionary, the noun "metrics" is the "theory of >> measurement". >> >> Does this mean that the American version of the book has been really dumbed >> down? :-) > > A metric, if I figured the meaning out right, is a computable number used to > quantify something which may not be obviously quantifiable. In this sense, > "metrics" is used with a plural verb. > > phma Dear Martin, Pierre and All, The fact is that we live in a living sea of language. As promoters of the metric system we strive to promote a single measurement method that is clear open and fair to all who use it. In short: 'For all people; for all time. However, other people simply play with words as they encounter them with little or no understanding of their underlying systemic structure. As an example, I was recently introduced to a measure of cardboard thickness called 'UMS' pronounced to rhyme with 'hums' without the initial 'h'. It took me a little while to realise that this has now become paper industry jargon for micrometres (µm) that were wrongly written as (µms) and then even more wrongly written (as ums) and then even more wrongly written in their present 'standard' form as 'UMS'. As you make your transition to the full use of the metric system, you should expect, and be prepared to counter, this sort of naïve nonsense -- it will happen quite a lot. Other examples are 'mils', KayGees, Kliks, microns, Gigs, Megs, etc. 'Metrics' to mean measures of any kind especially financial measures will develop to haunt those of us who believe that the use of the word 'metrics' somehow belittles the metric system itself. Cheers, Pat Naughtin PO Box 305, Belmont, Geelong, Australia Phone 61 3 5241 2008 Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online monthly newsletter, 'Metrication matters'. You can subscribe by going to http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter Pat is the editor of the 'Numbers and measurement' chapter of the Australian Government Publishing Service 'Style manual for writers, editors and printers'. He is a Member of the National Speakers Association of Australia and the International Federation of Professional Speakers. He is also recognised as a Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist (LCAMS) with the United States Metric Association. For more information go to: http://metricationmatters.com This email and its attachments are for the sole use of the addressee and may contain information that is confidential and/or legally privileged. This email and its attachments are subject to copyright and should not be partly or wholly reproduced without the consent of the copyright owner. Any unauthorised use of disclosure of this email or its attachments is prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please immediately delete it from your system and notify the sender by return email. --
