Agreed! Let's drop the subject of spelling *concurrent* with proper respect for well established laws and practices in the USA which *do not contradict SI*; which include USMA Web Pages.
Please cease and desist addressing messages to the USMA which deviate from the official USA spellings (US Government Printing Office) meter and liter. Gene. ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:43:28 -0600 >From: "Paul Trusten" <[email protected]> >Subject: [USMA:49678] Re: [SI] A mole hill into Himalaya >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > > I agree with you, Stan. Actually, it is difficult > to get much of the world, let alone the U.S., to use > the correct SI symbols, let along some kind of > standardized spelling, for unit names. For me, it > is the use of the established symbols that must > remain the same in all languages. I'm not tooting my > own horn, but merely stating fact, that the > pharmaceutical industry seems to be the > most consistent user of correct SI symbolism on its > product labels. It's afte the drug leaves the stock > packaging that things go down hill. > > I shall not hold it against my fellow citizens of > they write meter instead of metre. This spelling > convention never made it into U.S. English. It is > reflected in the spelling of other words, such as > center vs. centre, or theater vs. theatre. There > are other spellings that became part of U.S. usage, > such as -or (U.S.) vs. -our (other countries) > (colour, flavour, valour). In some words of > science, we have sulfate vs. sulphate, and diarrhea > vs. diarrhoea. I do use, and support, the > pronunciation of KILL-oh-mee-ter because it is a > logical extension of the pronunciation of unit names > with SI prefixes. But, that's just I. > > As for me, I am done posting anything about this > again,. It is a little known codicil in the mission > of USMA that we exist to > > Unite the efforts of all individuals and > organizations interested in promoting the metric > system. > > Let's drop all the trivia, stand together for world > metrication, and keep our eyes on that prize! > > (A mole into a Himalaya is right!) > > Paul > > Paul Trusten, R.Ph. , Vice President > U.S. Metric Association, Inc. > www.metric.org > [email protected] > +1(432)528-8824 > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Stanislav Jakuba > To: [email protected] > Sent: 29 January, 2011 08:38 > Subject: [SI] A mole hill into Himalaya > > I cannot but show my discomfiture at the enduring > importance given to this –er –re non-issue. > Americans must be the laughing stock of anyone who > speaks other languages. None have this > “problem.” European languages, except English, > are (more or less) phonetic, and many other > languages do not bather writing vowels in the > first place, let along the silent ones like the > irritating “e.” This debate is an American > specialty as other English speaking countries > including such as India use –re or do not care. > Slavic languages, for example, have 6 or 7 ways to > spell the name. This smear on American reputation > as a get-things-done-country could be ignored if > it was not one of the reasons for the failure of > the Metric Board to get the changeover going back > in the 1970s. That mole hill issue on the > Himalayan scale of metricating a country should > have been treated as follows: > > > > “Mr. Chairman, I would like us to decide the > issue of spelling …” > > A reply: > > “Mr. Irritant, you or anyone else can spell it > anyway you want. Let’s move to the next item on > the agenda - a review of the report on structural > steel sizes and deadlines the steal industry > propose.” > > (A subcommittee reports.) > > Etc. > > > > It is a reflection on the poor quality of the > Board members that they would let themselves be > occupied by such a triviality. It is also a > reflection on this Forum, that there are people on > it still insisting on spelling one way or another > knowing well what harm treating that issue as Y/N > caused. As if there were no other words in the > American English that can be spelled more than one > way. > > Stan Jakuba
