tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post1655104742576543495..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: scale(s)lynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-91898059875836052352020-08-31T17:27:16.556+01:002020-08-31T17:27:16.556+01:00Sorry, should be explain, not expand.Sorry, should be explain, not expand.Shy-replyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891566073375322808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55182019923573351852020-08-31T17:24:52.165+01:002020-08-31T17:24:52.165+01:00BrE. I have been told that people relate most easi...BrE. I have been told that people relate most easily to numbers roughly in the range 0 to 100. Thus, if you need to talk about short time, milliseconds will often feel more convenient, than something like 0.003s. While this might expand the BrE preference for stones and pounds, weights up to 500 pounds would not challenge this “rule” too much. But to express the distance to the next junction as 5000 fr seems very strange to this Brit.Shy-replyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891566073375322808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60784111339459711522012-09-13T00:16:45.616+01:002012-09-13T00:16:45.616+01:00Still working my way through your posts and commen...Still working my way through your posts and comments after having recently discovered your fun blog.<br /><br />Re your comment above "Hey guy, I'm not a chap!" -- I have a female co-worker in her 20s here in the U.S. who says "Dude" to anyone, male or female. For example, she might say to another female co-worker, "Dude, thanks for helping me out with that!"<br /><br />I'm in my 40s and I don't say "Dude" to anyone, but I certainly wouldn't say it to a woman.David Laurihttp://www.davidlauri.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-64249927040552612502009-03-06T12:45:00.000+00:002009-03-06T12:45:00.000+00:00When I'm chatting with people on weight training f...<I>When I'm chatting with people on weight training forums, the British always give their weight in stones (or stones and pounds). Do they not realize that no one else in the world (I suppose) knows what they're talking about?</I><BR/><BR/>Like us Brits and you Americans using pounds to the amusement of everyone else.<BR/><BR/>One thing I'd suggest is that if you are dieting record weight loss in kgs and gains in pounds. That way you don't get satisfied too soon with the loss, and get alarmed immediately by the gai!Martinus Scriblerushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07550595497511087925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60982664831806610212007-03-20T23:29:00.000+00:002007-03-20T23:29:00.000+00:00I think stating one's weight in a measuring system...I think stating one's weight in a measuring system that no one else understands is a marvelous idea! Even better is to use one in which the numbers don't mean a lot to yourself. I always feel thinner in kilograms, because while I have an academic knowledge of how much a kilogram weighs, I don't have natural instinct for how 'fat' a kilogram is.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-91484915918146118692007-03-20T22:51:00.000+00:002007-03-20T22:51:00.000+00:00Peter: it's "une livre" for weight, generally unde...Peter: it's "une livre" for weight, generally understood at 500 grams (just over one pound).<BR/><BR/>And what's with "stone" anyway? Where did it come from? When I'm chatting with people on weight training forums, the British always give their weight in stones (or stones and pounds). Do they not realize that no one else in the world (I suppose) knows what they're talking about? And poor us who have to do the math (11 stone x 14 lbs = 154 lbs + 4 lbs = 158 lbs... ooof).Marc Naimarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15832885558832932466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-42057935189606156902007-03-18T12:17:00.000+00:002007-03-18T12:17:00.000+00:00May be this Imperial- Metric (or Imperial/ SI, if ...May be this Imperial- Metric (or Imperial/ SI, if you prefer) thing is about a different kind of exercise, that is mental arithmetic. <BR/><BR/>I am comfortable with both systems but find myself doing the maths (BrE!) for the genius in my house often, as I report or rather broadcast (which is less specific as to whether someone is listening or not) my weight in stones/ pounds, or the distance I ran in miles.<BR/><BR/>Constantly multiplying with 1.6 or dividing by 2.2 is a great way to teach young ones speed-maths. If all were doing this, we would not be in the state with maths that gives much cause to lament to our politicians and the media.Shefaly Yogendrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12117508079407216918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-63259656436298669212007-03-17T22:34:00.000+00:002007-03-17T22:34:00.000+00:00Hey guy, I'm not a chap! :)Hey guy, I'm not a chap! :)lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20213436558427901222007-03-16T19:21:00.000+00:002007-03-16T19:21:00.000+00:00Going to the gym, eh? The writing's on the wall. ...Going to the gym, eh? The writing's on the wall. Or the "handwriting" as you chaps seem to say.deariemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06654632450454559188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-10609243975822170852007-03-16T15:15:00.000+00:002007-03-16T15:15:00.000+00:00Haven’t we got into a muddle mixing imperial and m...Haven’t we got into a muddle mixing imperial and metric measurements? The BBC tries to force metrification upon us, but sometimes it will mix both in one sentence. Whilst most of us have got used to using metric for weight and shorter distances, we can only get a concept of speed or greater distances in miles per hour and miles. I find it particularly annoying when aircraft speed is quoted in kilometres per hour, whereas pilots and air traffic controllers still use” knots”(nautical miles per hour).<BR/><BR/>Despite metrication being introduced in France over two centuries ago, half a kilo is still informally referred to as “un livre”.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13478343480167882044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-61871272877544306172007-03-16T14:13:00.000+00:002007-03-16T14:13:00.000+00:00From My computer's dictionary (Oxford American) 'm...From My computer's dictionary (Oxford American) 'mathematics' definition:<BR/><BR/> • [often treated as pl. ] the mathematical aspects of something : the mathematics of general relativity.<BR/><BR/>Would one say that the 'mathematics of GR' are or is xyz? I think I would use the former.jhmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15024302748759726815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69953278214458976402007-03-16T07:54:00.000+00:002007-03-16T07:54:00.000+00:00And sorry, flash and john, I wasn't meaning to yel...And sorry, flash and john, I wasn't meaning to yell at <I>you</I>! It's not that I've said this to you before and you didn't understand it--it's that it's such a fixed understanding in the culture that I run up against it all the time. So, I will try to calmly write my post on this, tonight or tomorrow. Hope you'll not have lost patience with me by then!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-83516517256253612472007-03-16T07:34:00.000+00:002007-03-16T07:34:00.000+00:00Math(s) is a completely different kind of case, si...<I>Math(s)</I> is a completely different kind of case, since the word is NOT PLURAL!! (Sorry if I'm yelling, but no matter how often it's said, it doesn't seem to get through.) It may have an S on the end, but note (* means ungrammatical):<BR/><BR/><I>Mathematics</I> is taught at school.<BR/><BR/>*<I>Mathematics</I> are taught at school.<BR/><BR/>(BrE) <I>Maths</I> is taught at school. <BR/><BR/>*<I>Maths</I> are taught at school.<BR/><BR/>If <I>math(ematic)s</I> were/was plural (and note that that <I>were</I> is subjunctive, not plural!), then it would be ungrammatical to say <I>maths is</I>. But it's not!<BR/><BR/>OK, I do have to do a full post on this, just to put it in a searchable place. So please hold fire on this topic, and I promise I'll make it my next post. Then we can go to town on it. <BR/><BR/>I've said the same thing before in the comments <A HREF="http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/07/countmass-nouns-potato-egg-tax-sport.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>, but it's not searchable because it's in the comments--which is why I want to make this its own post, since the requests for it are fairly constant...lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19015942142386596782007-03-16T03:29:00.000+00:002007-03-16T03:29:00.000+00:00Are there any cases opposite to math(s) and scale(...Are there any cases opposite to math(s) and scale(s) where the American version has the S besides sport(s)?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32274632253665474112007-03-16T01:55:00.000+00:002007-03-16T01:55:00.000+00:00Pretty pleeease: place a link to anything you've w...Pretty pleeease: place a link to anything you've written on math vs. maths.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com