Re: CHAT: Introduction

> Also, for some reason, when measurements are unity or less,
> you use (I've been told to use, rather) no plural: It weighed 0.5
> kilogram; it was 0.2 metre long. Sounds entirely dodgy to my ear, but
> that's just how its supposed to be done. I guess in the case of `0.5
> kilogram', it should be read as `half a kilo'.
In Dutch, and I guess in many other languages as well, this problem is
avoided by always writing units as singular forms. SO we have 0.5 kilogram,
1 kilogram, 12 kilogram etc.

The only exception I can think of is temperature: "graden Celcius" is plural
with all forms, even when the number is equal to or less than one. However,
when expressing a difference in temperature, it is possible to use the
singuar form with all forms except integer numbers whose absolute value is
greater than one and with the number 0. A fee examples:

Het is 0 graden         (It is 0 degrees)
Het is 1/2 graden               (It is 1/2 degrees)
Het is 1 graden         (It is 1 degree)
Het is 2 1/2 graden             (It is 2 1/2 degrees)
Het is 20 graden                (It is 20 degreees)

Het is 0 graden warmer          (It is 0 degrees hotter)
Het is 1/2 graad/graden warmer  (It is 1/2 a degree hotter)
Het is 1 graad/graden warmer    (It is 1 degree hotter)
Het is 2 1/2 graad/graden warmer        (It is 2 1/2 degrees hotter)
Het is 20 graden warmer         (It is 20 degrees hotter)

So the use is actually quite irregular....

Maarten van Beek

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