measuring systems (was: Selenites)

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J.A. Mills wrote:
>Wasn't there a time during the French Revolution when the people were =
switched
>over to a calendar based on decimals (10's, 100's)?  If somebody has =
more
>information on this, feel free to lecture.  I've never been able to =
figure out
>why most conlangers choose to translate things like "pounds", "miles", =
and
>"hours" into the conlang without devising a new system.
Yes, after the French Revolution, they switched to a ten-month year and =
began counting from there. The months were named after the climate and =
activities such as harvesting, I think (I don't know their names).

I haven't seen much about measuring systems in conlangs (except NGL), so =
I couldn't tell. If it's true, it's really a shame (except of course =
when the conlang in question comes from an actual natlang which used =
those measures).

I've always tried to create my own time-measuring system. =
Drasel=E9q-speaking people use a complicated lunisolar calendar (I =
posted this just two days ago). I haven't devised a system for dividing =
the day. I created a word similar to "kilometre" or "mile" in the =
general sense; its root means "thousand", but I didn't stop to think a =
thousand what (I had to translate something like "miles and miles =
away"). The numerical system is based on tens, tho there are still =
remains of a duodecimal system (or a three-times-four counting) in the =
names of the first numbers (up to 18).

Also, in Pantato, the year is divided into fifteen months, divided on =
five groups of three. The monthnames within a group are variations of =
one another. But Pantato is currently dead...

Personally, I don't like the English system. I hate all those feet, =
yards, miles, inches, pounds, gallons and so on. They appear continuosly =
on TV, in movies, and worst of all in documentaries. I bothers me when I =
have to think of normalized page sizes in inches; and I don't stand =
Fahrenheit degrees. Did you know that Fahrenheit placed the 0 in his =
scale by measuring the lowest temperature he managed to produce?


--Pablo Flores
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