Units i18n (was: vulgar fractions)

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Markus Kuhn wrote:

> Those i18n gurus of you advising technical authors on internationally
> appropriate writing conventions might especially find the following
> brief text useful:
>
> http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/checklist.html

Some of the "proper" forms given are absurd, especially the first
example under #6. Who will write:

        She exclaimed, "That dog weighs 10 kg!",

with "kg" in roman type independent of the surrounding typography?
The only sensible form *in this sentence* is:

        She exclaimed, "That dog weighs ten kilograms!"

or

        She exclaimed, "That dog weighs ten kilos!"

depending, of course, on what was said. "10 kg" is reasonable
for scientific prose, but not for reported dialogue.

-- 
Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis vom dies! || John Cowan <jcowan@reutershealth.com>
Schliesst euer Aug vor heiliger Schau,  || http://www.reutershealth.com
Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau,           || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
Und trank die Milch vom Paradies.            -- Coleridge (tr. Politzer)

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