Kilo-metres or Kilom-etres
Submitted: Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 07:02
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Member - Boobook
Why has something so incorrect become a standard?
I have noticed that more and more people refer to 1000m as a Kilom-etre. This is incorrect.
It is a Kilo-metre, like all other units in the metric system there is a unit of measurement, a metre and a multiplying prefix, in this case 1000 or Kilo
Kilo-gram not kilog-ram
Kilo-litre not Kilol-itre
Kilo-pascal not Kilop-ascal
Or
milli-metre not millim-etre
centi-metre not centim-etre
nano-metre not nanom-etre
People seem to have adopted Kilom-etre because in the car they also see an
Odom-eter
Speedom-eter
So next time you say Kilom-etre, remember that an Speedometer measures speed, a Odometer measures distance ( odo being greek), a pedometer measures steps but a Kilometre does not measure kills.
I have read that Kilom-eter has its origins in the UK and US, both use
Miles so what would they know?
My odometer says 1 kilom-etre and my speedometer says 100Kilom-etres per hour. How dumb is that? I have measured 1 kill and 100 kills per hour.
It's a speedom-eter, and a Kilo-metre
Reply By: terryt - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 07:14
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 07:14
Stick with k's and everyone is happy
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Reply By: Les - PK Ranger - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 08:58
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 08:58
Have never seen anyone spell those -etre, or for that matter with the hyphen at all.
Even speedometer / odometer is a simply spelling without a need for a hyphen.
Not sure why people would hyphenate these at all.
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:03
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:03
The hyphen is to emphasise the pronunciation to differentiate the different ways of saying it.like in a dictionary. Showing how people split the syllables.
They are not present generally of course Les. LOL
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Follow Up By: Les - PK Ranger - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:08
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:08
Ah refer = pronounce !!
Honestly saying kilom eter just isn't right or course, as with spelling (with no hyphen) the whole word rolled out doesn't usually happen unnaturally in that written way, it's simple kilometer but most say it like kilometta, not kilo meter, as you'd pronounce meter in that format.
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:11
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:11
Or better still
Pronounciation
Hopefully people get the point though.
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Follow Up By: Les - PK Ranger - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:13
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:13
YEs "refer to pronounciation of 1000m as a Kilom-etre"
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 10:05
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 10:05
You were correct the first time, it is 'pronunciation'.
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Reply By: Member - Charlie M (SA) - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:19
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:19
May I ask how many people really care.
To me it is a kilometre for one, or kilometre's for more than one.
Kill as two (l) in it, kilomere only has one (l) in it
Cheers
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Follow Up By: RobandFlip - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 13:46
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 13:46
Charlie M
Just to add a bit of proper grammar, more than one kilometre, that is, two kilometres, there is no apostrophe after the 'e', just add an 's'. The apostrophe would indicate personal ownership of the kilometre. Yes, I know, the English language is a bit complicated. However, it is our language and I love it.
cheers,
Robyn
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Reply By: Life Member - Woodsy - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:39
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:39
Slow news day eh?
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Follow Up By: Phil B (WA) - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 13:03
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 13:03
Very slow
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Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:46
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:46
I use kilom-eter more than I like, Boobook. Shall I go and stand in the corner?
Bob
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Reply By: garrycol - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:48
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 09:48
The Silly Old Fart
forum is alive and
well.
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Reply By: Alloy c/t - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 10:22
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 10:22
Being a little bit pedantic me thinks ….. Personally being someone who went to school in the 60s and early 70s I still convert the kilomahwhatsits to
miles per hr etc etc etc , it just does not 'feel' right saying 160kmh when it really is doing a TON.
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Reply By: vk1dx - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 10:30
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 10:30
I am happy that it's the right (oops), correct english spelling!
Phil
Quote:
Spelling in English | KILOMETRE or KILOMETER
ANSWER: In Canada, both are correct.
The British spelling is kilometre.
The American spelling is kilometer.
In Canada, it is acceptable to use either spelling.
See the STORY example of KILOMETRE: I could hear his truck when he was about a kilometre away.
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Reply By: Member - Robyn R4 - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 10:32
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 10:32
Boobook, you are right.
If you want to be really pedantic or if you're just curious which pronunciation is correct, the Maths syllabus says that it's kilo-metre, like kilo-gram.
Yep, then there's the speedom-eter...
(Imagine the centim-etre!!!)
We all know how awful the English language is and that rules are regularly thrown out the window from one spelling rule to the next!
:) Robyn
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Follow Up By: Member - David M (SA) - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 20:37
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 20:37
Absolutely.
Dave.
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Reply By: Member - John and Val - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 11:32
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 11:32
Just be thankful if people can spell it, preferably ending in "re". Lots of poor pronunciation around now, even on the ABC which was once so particular about such things. My personal dislike is cere-moany (ceremony).
Cheers,
Val.
| J and V
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Follow Up By: RMD - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 14:23
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 14:23
I dislike ABC announcers saying "Breggsit". You never see an EGGSIT sign in a public hall.
ABC people are just journalists though. Not to be respected. unless they "tork proper".
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Reply By: Zippo - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 12:03
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 12:03
"It's a speedom-eter" ...
Just as the kilom-etre pronunciation has come into widespread use, if you're that concerned about correct pronunciation the you shouldn't be saying that. It's a meter and for the completely anal it SHOULD be pronounced "speed-o-meter" - it's not measuring speedos (or budgie-smugglers), and it was the same name before metric units were introduced into vehicles.
Custom and usage has always taken precedence over correctness in English.
[Edit:] I should add that in parts of Europe that were never tainted with imperial (weights and) measures, it is pronounced the way you suggest. You may find the offending variation has come about because we already had a speed-om-eter and an o-dom-eter from imperial days. You *may* also note that many three-syllable place names in Oz have the emphasis on the middle syllable - regardless of where/how the pure linguists would break the word up into syllables or how the word originated.
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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 13:20
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 13:20
"You *may* also note that many three-syllable place names in Oz have the emphasis on the middle syllable"
How about Buckleboo? :)
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
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Follow Up By: Zippo - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 13:52
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 13:52
Peter, I agree there are many with emphasis on the first-of-three also. Here in WA we have (of aboriginal derivation) KaTANning and DATtening - caps for the emphasised syllable - which some try and massage into the same spoken structure. The amusing part is when the (east-coast-based) ABC News talking head pronounces MANdurah - local pronunciation, like
GUNdagai - as ManDURah.
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Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 14:40
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 14:40
It is important to have the emFARsis on the correct syllARble. :-)
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Reply By: Notso - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 17:35
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 17:35
Ah, yes. I have the book that was put out when we changed from the imperial to the metric system of distance measurement.
It clearly states that the correct way to pronounce Kilometre is Kilo or Keelo Metre.
Kilo being 1000 and metre being the unit of length. Now way back when a lot of the younger people on this
forum had no interest in such things, dear old Gough Whitlam made one his famous pronouncements and decided it should really be pronounced Kilom etre. Now we all know it is wrong but when God (Gough) made a pronouncement the whole nation came to attention and said "Yes Sir".
Well some of us because I still insist on the correct pronunciation!
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Reply By: barry F (N - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 18:07
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 18:07
Crikey!! That info is so important isn't it? So glad I logged on after a long absence and thus made myself aware of this important issue. Gee it almost makes me wish we could go back to the good old
Miles Per Hour thingo which was just so uncomplicated and so simple. Thank you for clarifying a situation that has worried the heck out of me ever since our Government more or or less doubled the distance between points A & B by this Kilo or Killem terminology. 100 Kills per hour is simply unacceptable & we should all try and reduce this dreadful statistic.
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Reply By: Bazooka - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 19:32
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 19:32
Would it be safe to bring up the farcical litres/100km at this point?
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Reply By: Steve - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 20:18
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 20:18
People routinely come out with such atrocities as "ow wown" (to name but one such affectation) instead of "our own" and you're worrying about a minor difference in where stress is applied?
I blame the meeja
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Reply By: Member - Scott M (NSW) - Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 21:50
Sunday, Apr 09, 2017 at 21:50
Clicks ???
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Reply By: Injected - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 01:20
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 01:20
Its the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit.
Haha.
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Follow Up By: RobandFlip - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 11:56
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 11:56
That is pure gold!
cheers,
Robyn
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Reply By: vk1dx - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 08:27
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 08:27
Here's a good book to read: Let's Talk String by Afferbeck
Lauder;
http://www.textfiles.com/humor/strine.txt
And we worry about changes to our "spoken" word. Sorry no mention of kilometers but you have to laugh. Hint; listen to what you say as you read it. Don't try to understand what you read.
Phil
Just a few extracts;
Gona Gota: To go. As in: `They're gona gota
Gundagai to get a gelding
and they're gona gota gether.' or:
Q: You gona gota Moun Barflo freester?
A: Narm gona gota Mairlben, I'm stain with some frenset Blair Crock.
Gonnie: Do you have any? As in: `Gonnie epples?', `Gonnie forby three
oregan?' `Gonnie newsa Bev?'
Grade A: So-called `fine' weather, i.e. an intolerably hot and blinding
summer day; also, and important occasion. As in: `It's a grade A for
the Irish'; `It's a grade A for the people of Fiver No'; `It's a grade
A for the Dairptic Mishner of Texation'.
Gunga Din: Locked out. As in:
(a) I gunga din, the door slokt.
(b) Hancher gotcher key?
(c) Air, buttit spoultered on the inside. I tellyer I gunga din. Car
more, nope-nit.
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 08:56
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 08:56
I think you meant:
Let's Talk Strine
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Reply By: Bob R4 - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 09:16
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 09:16
Don't want to be pedantic, but I'm feeling there are a few pedants here ;-)
Bob
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Follow Up By: Life Member - Woodsy - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 09:22
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 09:22
Bob
Do you mean Ped-ants?
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Reply By: Member - Racey - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 09:50
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 09:50
I think it would be nice if people would say Australia and not Austraya. :-)
Cheers
Jon
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Reply By: Malcom M - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 10:24
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 10:24
What about mils when referring to length or height (mm)
Mils is a unit of volume.
Becoming a nation of lazy peasants...
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 15:07
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 15:07
Mils is an abbreviation of Millilitres, or
Mils is an abbreviation of Millimetres
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Reply By: 9900Eagle - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 11:52
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 11:52
Guess we could all now start working out why Boonoo Boonoo is pronounced Bunna Bunoo. and you have to say it very quickly the same as the Jukembal Aborigines would have said it. Then again it was never metric though.
Just thought I would change the subject with a another piece of completely useless piece of information.
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Reply By: Shaker - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 15:09
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 15:09
One thing has surprised me, why haven't the Moderators closed this thread as being Off Topic?
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Follow Up By: vk1dx - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 15:25
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 15:25
Thinking the same thing myself mate.
Phil
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Follow Up By: 9900Eagle - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 16:28
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 16:28
Shake. Because Jesus loves us.
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Follow Up By: ModSquad - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 16:38
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 16:38
Not sure about the others - but I missed it, and it wasn't reported so neve got a warning.
It is of course off topic. Will lock it.
Cheers
The ModSquad
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 16:39
Monday, Apr 10, 2017 at 16:39
Hmm even I wonder that, now that you mention it Shaker.
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