"The Case for File Swapping"

[Peter Hickman]

Dirk Koopman wrote:

>On Thu, 2005-11-17 at 14:24 +0000, Peter Hickman wrote:
>  
>
>>Also using fancy words like 'milliard' when you would have been 
>>clearer saying 'billion' (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Milliard.html) 
>>might make people think you were a kook. 
>>    
>>
>
><pedant>
>I think you will find that "milliard" is rather more widespread than
>just "British, French and German usage".  You will find it used all over
>Europe and in many other languages (eg Dutch)
></pendant>
>
>Oh, hang on - this is london.pm and that is london as in Britain isn't
>it? So what was your point, as illustrated by the URL above?
>
>Dirk 
>
>
>  
>
Despite the fact that milliard is an English (and French and German and 
Dutch) word it is little used by speakers of English native or 
otherwise. The use of uncommon words by people writing about their pet 
peeve / obsession / crusade screams KOOK. That or a social studies graduate.

The purpose of the link was to show that there exists a more widely 
known word that could have been used in it's place that would actually 
made the article (marginally) more readable. The adoption of 
unconventional words in colloquy does not aid the advancement of 
conspicuous articulation. And it makes you look like a prat.