jhnbrbr
New member
Here in the UK we've got ourselves into a very strange situation with our units of measurement. We were supposed to switch to the European (SI) system decades ago, but we never quite got there. True, the metre-kilogram-second system is universal amongst technical folk like scientists and engineers, and the only system taught in schools, but imperial units live on in the everyday world. Our road signs still give all distances in miles, and beer is still sold in pint glasses, and it would be a brave politician indeed who tried to change this! Even more strange is the way we happily mix the units up. I would think nothing of going to a hardware store and asking for a piece of plywood 8 feet by 4 feet by 12mm.
This is almost a case of history repeating itself as the English language itself evolved in a similar way. After the Norman conquest of 1066, the French language didn't supplant the old Anglo-Saxon, the two existed side by side, and merged to create modern English. That is why you often find two words with more-or-less the same meaning in English. More-or-less the same but not exactly the same. Take "big" and "large" for example - so close in meaning, yet not quite interchangeable. You'd never hear anyone say "Don't cry - you're a large boy now." Our English teacher taught us that the French words appeal to the intellect, while the Anglo-Saxon words appeal to the heart. I think it's much the same with the "new" units. The SI ones are for the intellectual pursuits, while the old imperial ones have more emotional clout - buying someone a pint, having your pound of flesh, never giving an inch, going the extra mile, and so on.
I would be interested to hear what is the current situation in the US, which has also traditionally clung to imperial units. So far as the UK goes, I'm sure our present mixed arrangement will continue for the foreseeable future. It's symbolic of our ambivalent attitude towards Europe in general.
This is almost a case of history repeating itself as the English language itself evolved in a similar way. After the Norman conquest of 1066, the French language didn't supplant the old Anglo-Saxon, the two existed side by side, and merged to create modern English. That is why you often find two words with more-or-less the same meaning in English. More-or-less the same but not exactly the same. Take "big" and "large" for example - so close in meaning, yet not quite interchangeable. You'd never hear anyone say "Don't cry - you're a large boy now." Our English teacher taught us that the French words appeal to the intellect, while the Anglo-Saxon words appeal to the heart. I think it's much the same with the "new" units. The SI ones are for the intellectual pursuits, while the old imperial ones have more emotional clout - buying someone a pint, having your pound of flesh, never giving an inch, going the extra mile, and so on.
I would be interested to hear what is the current situation in the US, which has also traditionally clung to imperial units. So far as the UK goes, I'm sure our present mixed arrangement will continue for the foreseeable future. It's symbolic of our ambivalent attitude towards Europe in general.