Thread: Millimetres vs Millimeters

Originally Posted by Blocklayer

It seems that Americans spell Millimetre as 'Millimeter' (as well as meter, liter, center etc). I Googled 'Millimetre' and got 756,000 results, and for 'Millimeter' I got 6,270,000 results. So it seems theres more American spellings of it than the other. But Americans don't even use Metric!
Its hard enough trying to convert between Metric and Imperial without having to worry about the spelling also.
I've ended up with a mix up of spellings, where if I think an American is converting Imperial to Metric I'll say 'Millimeter' and if anyone else is converting Metric to Imperial I'd say 'Millimetre'
So whos right and whos wrong. Surely there cant be 2 right ways to spell it.
What do you reckon?

I think this way,,,, a metre is a unit of measure and a meter is something that displays a reading .
Like a power meter.
As far as the others litre ,liter etc I dont have a clue.

Woodlee
Sounds good to me
It's like switching from chips to fries
or 2 be 4's to 4 by 2ooes

Americains can't pronounce simple words like Aluminium (Aloominum) and nuclear (nukula) so something that finishes with re or ise has to be changed to er and ize so they have some idea how to pronounce the words.

You should hear some of the pronunciations of Japanese car names like Nissan (Nyzaan) or try asking for a glass of water in Texas (wardder) or figure out why oil is pronounced all, you is pronounced y'all and everyone is pronounced ally'al.

And they reckon we're a weird mob. Nup we're probably one of the few countries that actually speaks and Writes English (as an entire nation) the way it should be, including the English themselves who are probably the worlds worst at speaking proper English.

Originally Posted by ubeaut

Americains can't pronounce simple words like Aluminium (Aloominum) and nuclear (nukula)

< SNIP >

the English themselves who are probably the worlds worst at speaking proper English.

Oh! Dear!! Watch OUT!!!!!!
Incomming

Here comes the Flack.....


Bye the Bye;
Has anyone hereabouts read "Lets Talk STRINE"?

Originally Posted by Ivan in Oz

Bye the Bye;
Has anyone hereabouts read "Lets Talk STRINE"?

Yes I have, but I reckon our language has got less distinctive since it was written, while some other forms of English have got more idiosyncratic since then.

I still like "Emma Chisit" and "egg nishner"

Hi there, amussing post about the metric issue ...me I wouldn't stress about it,let the Americans be backwards it allows there little minds to be happy

Originally Posted by Blocklayer

It seems that Americans spell Millimetre as 'Millimeter' (as well as meter, liter, center etc). I Googled 'Millimetre' and got 756,000 results, and for 'Millimeter' I got 6,270,000 results. So it seems theres more American spellings of it than the other. But Americans don't even use Metric!
Its hard enough trying to convert between Metric and Imperial without having to worry about the spelling also.
I've ended up with a mix up of spellings, where if I think an American is converting Imperial to Metric I'll say 'Millimeter' and if anyone else is converting Metric to Imperial I'd say 'Millimetre'
So whos right and whos wrong. Surely there cant be 2 right ways to spell it.
What do you reckon?

Remember that Microsoft Word etc use "American English" for spelling, so unless you add metre to your dictionary (if you are allowed), most entries will be millimeter on spell checking. Perhaps they are referring to a very small gas meter, or some girl they know who's reeeally small.
Ivan, I particularly like Terror Souse (terrace house)

Originally Posted by LGS

Remember that Microsoft Word etc use "American English" for spelling,

You can change the setting in Word by going to Tools/Language/Language settings Just make the default language English (UK) instead of English (US) which is usually installed at set up for Word. Then you can type colour and metre and everything else in the English language.

Originally Posted by ubeaut

Americains can't pronounce simple words like Aluminium (Aloominum) and nuclear (nukula) so something that finishes with re or ise has to be changed to er and ize so they have some idea how to pronounce the words.

You should hear some of the pronunciations of Japanese car names like Nissan (Nyzaan) or try asking for a glass of water in Texas (wardder) or figure out why oil is pronounced all, you is pronounced y'all and everyone is pronounced ally'al.

And they reckon we're a weird mob. Nup we're probably one of the few countries that actually speaks and Writes English (as an entire nation) the way it should be, including the English themselves who are probably the worlds worst at speaking proper English.

OK, I didn't think I'd see the day I'd speak up to support the Yanks, but this is a bit too much.

They say "aloominum" instead of "alooMINium" because they spell it differently (one less "i" in the middle).

There are as many strange regional accents in Oz as there are in the states.

And as far as word endings go, why can't Aussies work out that "power" is not pronounced "powa"???

Originally Posted by ubeaut

including the English themselves who are probably the worlds worst at speaking proper English.

Eeeeeee I ooooooh aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr eeeeeeeeeeeee, You really must learn to appreciate the Queens English as spoken in England Neil.

Hang on a minute (or is it 'arva sec'). First of all, the universal original first spelling of the element is Aluminum, according to Wikipedia. It was gussied up because it didn't sound fancy enough. I usually just say foil, but in deference to where I live, use -ium if it's a chunk of it. It is true though that only the Americans (not Americains, Neil, that's the french spelling) still retain the -um spelling worldwide, I'll give you that.

As for nuclear, only the "president" (small p in quotes, so you know where I stand on him) can't get it right, and he says nookla.

I say Nee-san. Which in our country produces the Rodeo, pronounced like riding a bull (row-dee-o). Only the famous street in LA is pronounced row-day-o, but you guys put on airs when you talk about the Holden SUV.

I'm racking my brain to try and remember the name, but there's another SUV with an obviously Spanish name that you guys pronounce with a hard 'J'

In Boston you'd ask for a glassa watta, not wardder. For the record, Boston (East Coast US) pronunciation and Australian of 'English' are like two peas in a pod.

I just write 'mm', so I don't think I've ever even noticed how it's spelled.

I've got "How to Speak Strine". It took me a week to decipher. You must be joking that you speak English the way it should be. I'd agree you write up lots of new words and pass it off for English.....


PS-out of everything I just wrote, only Aluminum passed the forum spellchecker. Must be American made

Go Eli!


(nice knowing you )

Originally Posted by Eli

I'm racking my brain to try and remember the name, but there's another SUV with an obviously Spanish name that you guys pronounce with a hard 'J'

Holden Jackaroo is the one your thinking of

Originally Posted by DJ's Timber

Holden Jackaroo is the one your thinking of

I think he means Pajero which is supposed to be pronounced Payero.
How you get a y out of a j beats me .

Kev.