From: harvey@indyvax.iupui.edu
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Metrication and "normal usage"
Date: 14 Oct 92 02:12:13 GMT
Organization: Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis

In article <jhb.718599658@monet>, jhb@maths.su.oz.au (John Brownie) writes:
> dw@unislc.uucp (Dan Wright) writes:
>
>>I believe North American pronunciation is influenced by words such as:
>>barometer, chronometer, dynamometer, geometer, hydrometer, micrometer,
>>odometer, photometer, radiometer, speedometer, tachometer, and (last but
>>not least with respect to "normal" body temperature), thermometer.
>
> Which, of course, raises the question of how you differentiate
> micrometer (the instrument for measuring small lengths) from micrometer
> (one millionth of a meter), using American spellings.

There is no need to, since _micron_ is preferred term for "one millionth of
a meter" in American English.

>                                                        As you will
> notice from the list above, all of the terms are measuring devices,
> which gives a dubious source of analogy!

Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language,
Unabridged, 2nd Edition (1970) lists a single pronunciation of _kilometer_
(which I will refer to as the "canonical" one), with the primary stress on
the first syllable.

All the more recent dictionaries I've seen, including The American Heritage
Dictionary, Second College Edition (1985) and Webster's New World Dictionary
of the American Language, Second College Edition (1984) lists the pronunciation
with primary stress on the second syllable as well as the canonical one.

Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (1988) has this to say about the
pronunciation of _kilometer_:

     In North American speech, _kilometer_ is most often pronounced
     with primary stress on the second syllable.  This pronunciation
     is also heard frequently in British speech.  Those who object to
     second syllable stress say that the first syllable should be
     stressed in accord with the stress patterns of _centimeter_,
     _millimeter_, etc.  However, the pronunciation of _kilometer_
     does not parallel that of other metric compounds.  From 1828 to
     1841 Noah Webster indicated only second-syllable stress, and his
     successor added a first-syllable stress variant in the first
     Merriam-Webster dictionary of 1847.  Thus, both pronunciations
     are venerable.  Most scientists use second syllable stress,
     although first syllable stress seems to occur with a higher
     rate of frequency among scientists than among nonscientists.

Perhaps the second-syllable-stress pronunciation is an Americanism that
leaked back into provincial British usage later.  However, one is left
wondering why Webster's 1970 unabridged edition only lists the canonical
pronunciation...

But regardless of whether one believes it to be "right" or "wrong," it
seems that the pronunciation of _kilometer_ with the primary stress on the
second syllable is the most common one in American English, and is quite
likely to remain so in the future.

So, it's nothing to get yourself, uh, stressed out about...

Rather than complaining, speakers of British English should be grateful that
we haven't mangled the pronunciation of even MORE metric-related words!!!

> --
> John Brownie
> School of Mathematics and Statistics   |    Wycliffe Bible Translators
> University of Sydney NSW 2006          |    Graham Rd
> Internet: jhb@maths.su.oz.au           |    Kangaroo Ground Vic 3097 AUSTRALIA

ObWordFactoid: The odd (to the British) use of the word _store_ instead of
_shop_ in American English is directly related to British policies banning
the manufacture of finished goods in the American Colonies.
--
James "Aahhd lahhk-uh haaf-uh kil-LAAWWWG-rum of the Stilton, please" Harvey
harvey@iupui.edu  harvey@indiana.edu  uucp:iugate!harvey  bitnet:harvey@indyvax
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:3736 alt.folklore.urban:25586