| Newspapers should contribute to correct usage of English |
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| Written by Staff Reporters | |
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Dear Sir,
I note that in many media certain notations are used that are deviating from the general usage in southern Africa and from the suggestions made by the SABS that, I assume, have been incorporated in legislation on metrication in 1971/73/75.
I presume you know what follows or may have forgotten - no offence meant.
Based on a diabolic preoccupation with everything American, there is an increasing tendency to misuse the term ‘1 billion’. Even certain modern dictionaries seem to have incorporated the American usage. When I came to South Africa in 1969 I was told that South Africa, Botswana, etc. follow the British usage in spelling and meaning of the English language. Recent correspondence with the SABS confirmed that this still is so. Yet, more and more, we see that ‘1 billion’ is used to mean ‘1 thousand million’. Which essentially is wrong as ‘1 billion’ means ‘1 million million’. In the USA, but not Canada, ‘1 billion’ is used to indicate ‘1 000 000 000’. In my opinion, a leading newspaper like yours should also contribute to education and correct usage of the English language, even more so when dealing with economic and financial matters. My suggestion therefore is that you use the term ‘billion’ only when ‘ a million million’ is meant, and ‘a thousand million’ (or the less common ‘a milliard’) when you mean indeed ‘a thousand million’. Alternatively expressing amounts in figures or repeating them in brackets after the expression in words would also help to avoid potential confusion. The mix-up has progressed so far already; that in literature, reports, articles, and the term ‘billion’ is used or copied (from American original documentation or instrumental manuals) without giving it further thought - indicating that the author(s) also do not realize what they are writing. One example: the scientific notation ‘ppb’ or ‘parts per billion’; it is used meaning concentrations like ‘microgram per litre or per kilogram’; this is essentially, scientifically and grammatically wrong; it should mean ‘nanogram per litre or per kilogram’ (1 nanogram = 0,001 microgram = 0,000 001 milligram). Quite a difference. That is why the SABS recommended that expressions for concentration like ‘ppm,ppb, %’, should be avoided and replaced by numerical expressions or correct metric terminology e.g. mg/kg, ng/kg, and convert ‘%’ to mass per mass (1% = 10 000 ppm = 10 000 mg/kg) or per volume (scientifically expressed as mass per derivatives of cubic metre, like cubic decimetre; and commercially in l or L or ‘litre’ ). I hope this of help to you. Kind regards, Roland M Roeis This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Using the word billion to indicate a thousand million has become so entrenched in financial reporting, it is worldwide (even in the UK) used with this meaning. My 1964 Oxford already draws attention to the fact that a billion has two values depending on which side of the Atlantic one finds oneself. Another entrenched anomaly is speaking of sixteen hundred hours, for example, when referring to four o’clock in the afternoon. This wrong usage comes from the military where very few people are expected to know the “h” in the earlier syntax stands for hora in Latin and not for hundred. - Ed. |
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