Re: Accents

On Wed, 9 Jan 2002, Stephen Mulraney wrote:

> On Tue, 8 Jan 2002 12:55:37 -0500
> John Cowan <jcowan@...> wrote:
>
> > Stephen Mulraney wrote:
> >
> > > BTW, why do Americans call # ('hash', 'octothorp') the 'pound symbol' ??
> >
> > Because it used to be written *following* a number on bags full of
> > stuff to indicate their weight in pounds, thus:  20# = 20 pounds
> > weight.
>
> Ah, curious. It's not really an explanation though, is it? ;)
> On the other hand most likely someone sometime just thought it
> would be a good idea. Here in Ireland and also in the U.K. where
> pounds are often used, one writes '20 lb', from the abbreviation
> for whatever latin word 'libra'  - a balance or a weight of one
> roman pound (about 3/4 a modern pound). My parents use exclusively
> the imperial system (not always the same as the American system -
> you don't think anyone really drinks only an *American* pint of
> beer, do you? g:) ) while younger people use a mix, but oddly
> always quoting a person's height in feet and inches...
Why is it that other countries have so much trouble converting? (Okay,
people will give people's heights in feet and inches in Oz, but that's the
only thing left, really.) I've heard tell that the Dutch use pfund(?) for
half a kilo... Apparently, we converted our *speed signs* over with no in
betweens... straight from mi/h to km/h

> > (One pound = 2.2 kg, for the maior et sanior part of the word.)
>
> The other way round - 1 lb.= 454g (as one learns from tubs of butter
> which are sold as is traditional in pounds, but are actually marked
> in grams...)
Only times you see that is on American imports and M&Ms (42.1 g or
something like that for the crunchy M&Ms). I've seen things as 500 mL
netto/<equiv. in fluid ounzes> net... (Why is it that Australians have to
understand the Italian/Spanish word for `net'?)

Tristan

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