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May 09, 2008 @ 19:51:12

#136

pete

Über-Monkey
59729 points

21/M/Falkirk, United Kingdom
Join Date: Jan 2005

jonnythan said:
No, you're talking about the language of Britain in the 50s and 60s.

You're railing against the current language.

Ah well, that takes care of my reply to that

My Site

May 09, 2008 @ 19:51:27

#137

jmo

Über-Monkey
57199 points

19/M/Stirling, United Kingdom
Join Date: May 2006

jonnythan said:
No, you're talking about the language of Britain in the 50s and 60s.

You're railing against the current language.

I'm 'railing against' the way that current British people are adopting terms that aren't ours.

You Must Be A Masochist, To Love A Modern Leper On His Last Legs

May 09, 2008 @ 19:51:40

#138

jonnythan

Pickle
104335 points

27/M/NY, New York
Join Date: Aug 2005

jmo said:
Most British people call refer to a billion as a million million.

Most British people also appear to be rather xenophobic and fiercely proud of anything they consider "British."

That's not something you should be using to justify an opinion. That'd be like me justifying obesity because "most Americans like McDonald's."

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May 09, 2008 @ 19:52:04

#139

x_Laura_x

Abominable Snowman
82746 points

17/F/A Yellow House, United Kingdom
Join Date: Jun 2007

jmo said:
Most British people call refer to a billion as a million million.

OK I'm gonna go ask my mum and her friend, see what she says

"If you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

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May 09, 2008 @ 19:52:17

#140

alexkidd
Captain Awesome!
Über-Moderator
44218 points

23/M/in a bog, Ireland
Join Date: Sep 2006

jmo said:
Most British people call refer to a billion as a million million.

really? i've never heard of it,
i think we need some kind of poll or something here.

May 09, 2008 @ 19:52:23

#141

jonnythan

Pickle
104335 points

27/M/NY, New York
Join Date: Aug 2005

jmo said:
I'm 'railing against' the way that current British people are adopting terms that aren't ours.

Kinda like they've done throughout the whole of British history?

Edited: May 09, 2008 @ 19:54

May 09, 2008 @ 19:53:13

#142

pete

Über-Monkey
59729 points

21/M/Falkirk, United Kingdom
Join Date: Jan 2005

jmo said:
I'm 'railing against' the way that current British people are adopting terms that aren't ours.

Current british people adopting new terms?

I didn't know i was around in 1974 to adopt the new terms.

My Site

May 09, 2008 @ 19:53:47

#143

feebs

Minister
14883 points

34/F/, United Kingdom
Join Date: Feb 2008

lol...good one...we speak the way we do because of our history which is because of so many nationalities...we are what we are ....get over it things change...

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May 09, 2008 @ 19:56:02

#144

jmo

Über-Monkey
57199 points

19/M/Stirling, United Kingdom
Join Date: May 2006

pete said:
Current british people adopting new terms?

I didn't know i was around in 1974 to adopt the new terms.

People still use the term billion to refer to a million million, right through school that was what I was taught, and just because jonnythan claims that the 'long scale' thing was invented in 1974 does not mean that all aspects of it were, it just means that that system of deciding future numbers outwith a scale we currently need to use will be different. Because when the term 'Billion' was created that system was in place, the term Billion should not be changed, it should retain its original meaning.

You Must Be A Masochist, To Love A Modern Leper On His Last Legs

May 09, 2008 @ 19:56:32

#145

jonnythan

Pickle
104335 points

27/M/NY, New York
Join Date: Aug 2005

Some Wikipedia notes on current usage:

"Billion" has meant 10^9 in most sectors of official published writing for many years now. The UK government, BBC, and most other broadcast or published ma** media, have used the short scale exclusively in all contexts since the mid 1970s. Anyone using billion to mean 10^12 in British English may be misunderstood. However, this short scale usage is not uniformly accepted and the "traditional usage" of a billion to mean 10^12 is not unknown

May 09, 2008 @ 19:57:28

#146

jonnythan

Pickle
104335 points

27/M/NY, New York
Join Date: Aug 2005

jmo said:
People still use the term billion to refer to a million million, right through school that was what I was taught, and just because jonnythan claims that the 'long scale' thing was invented in 1974 does not mean that all aspects of it were, it just means that that system of deciding future numbers outwith a scale we currently need to use will be different. Because when the term 'Billion' was created that system was in place, the term Billion should not be changed, it should retain its original meaning.

It's too late.

The UK government and ma** media have officially used the short scale, where "billion" means 1,000,000,000, for about thirty-four years now.

The only holdouts are traditionalists who think the old way is "more British."

Edited: May 09, 2008 @ 19:57

May 09, 2008 @ 19:58:20

#147

x_Laura_x

Abominable Snowman
82746 points

17/F/A Yellow House, United Kingdom
Join Date: Jun 2007

Meh nvm

"If you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

Edited: May 09, 2008 @ 20:18

May 09, 2008 @ 19:58:49

#148

jmo

Über-Monkey
57199 points

19/M/Stirling, United Kingdom
Join Date: May 2006

jonnythan said:
It's too late.

The UK government and ma** media have officially used the short scale, where "billion" means 1,000,000,000, for about thirty-four years now.

The only holdouts are traditionalists who think the old way is "more British."

Every c**t here calls a billion a million million.

Wikipedia is full of s**te.

You Must Be A Masochist, To Love A Modern Leper On His Last Legs

May 09, 2008 @ 20:00:12

#149

jonnythan

Pickle
104335 points

27/M/NY, New York
Join Date: Aug 2005

jmo said:
Every c**t here calls a billion a million million.

Wikipedia is full of s**te.

Hey, don't believe Wikipedia, believe your own ears. You're the one bitching about the BBC using the short scale