BulbCollector Forums
BULB BANTER => General Discussion => Topic started by: Zelandeth on January 27, 2006, 06:21:17 pm
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This is one that's been bouncing around my head for a while...aaaand I figure this is the right place to ask.
When dealing with prefixes - in this case SOX and SON...how do you actually go about saying it? Do you quote the actually prefix letter by letter, or go by what it spells out?
Hasn't been an issue really, as I never actually speak in person about any of this usually, but I know have a chance to speak to the head of streetlighting in Aberdeen City Council (nice guy)...but I realised I hadn't a clue how it's actually said!
Someone bail me out here, before I make myself look an idiot again!
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I wouldn`t necessarilly worry about it, we all pronounce things differently anyway. I expect there`s a whole load of things you say differently to me, given our respective locations (though actually I don`t sound very Welsh at all these days). And one individual to another will do things differently too, depending on generations, original place of origin or who else they spend most time talking/listening to.
That said, if I don`t say "high pressure sodium", I have always pronounced "SON" rather than spelling it out letter by letter, but I say it as "song" without the G rather than as in "sun"/male offspring. Your local pronounciation preference may differ! As for the thing illuminating this room right now (yes, really, just put in a new tube infact), well I`ll admit I usually call those "low pressure sodium" but if pushed, it would be "socks" moreso than S-O-X. Generally though, I don`t favour abbreviations and anacronyms as there are too many in use today and often confuse the pants off me!
:o
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Good answer Chris.
That is actually how I got around it, I just said low pressure sodium anyway, after considering how to phrase it in my head for about a second.
Ah well, might be working for the team that maintains the street and public lighting in Aberdeen soon anyway...so will get to see how everyone there deals with the zillion and one different prefixes and abbreviations this sort of technology seems to involve!
...also really curious to see what the guy finds for me he was going to "Have a rummage around the workshop" for anything of interest...didn't seem all that surprised at my email, but then agian, he has been in the job for 30 years apparently, so I'm probably far from the first lighting enthusiast he's encountered!