Pronunciation ChallengeWhy Doesn't the US Just Use the Metric System? - Cheddar Explains

"Thus the metric system did not really catch on in the States, unless you count the increasing popularity of the nine millimeter bullet" - Dave Barry

What’s going on, Voicetube listeners! Welcome to the Pronunciation Challenge. My name is Hubert and I’ll be hosting today’s episode of the Pronunciation Challenge. For today’s topic, I decided to talk about an issue that has always bothered me for so long. I’m sure a lot of other Canadians feel this way too. Other countries probably wouldn’t be as bothered by this because you guys aren’t situated right next to America. What I’m referring to is how we measure things! Unless you’re from America, Liberia, and Myanmar, we all use the metric system to measure things in life. For example, on the highway, speed is listed as 100km/h but in America, it would be 60mph. It’s so confusing especially if you’re doing a road trip in America! When I’m filling up my car with gas, I’m used to liters but in America, it’s gallons! What about your weight? I actually learned pounds and not kilograms (kg) growing up in Canada, which means I learned the American system without realizing it! So confusing. Turns out I was using the imperial system for my height and weight and it wasn’t until I moved to Asia that I made the switch to the metric system. I’m constantly going on google converting these numbers. Let’s get to the featured sentence before I tell you how my friend got out of a speeding ticket in America using the metric system!

In 1793, France sent botanist and aristocrat, Joseph Dombi, with a meter long rod and a one kilogram copper cylinder, to demonstrate the system for Jefferson in the US.

I’ll say that again.

In 1793, France sent botanist and aristocrat, Joseph Dombi, with a meter long rod and a one kilogram copper cylinder, to demonstrate the system for Jefferson in the US.

Ok, now time for the Pronunciation Tips.


For the first word, we have
Botanist
3 syllables.
Ok, this is a tricky one. For the first syllable “bot”, we use a short O sound and forget the T here. For “AN” use the short U sound and “NIST” is simply how it’s spelt. No special exemptions there. Botanist.

Next up, we have
Aristocrat
Four syllables
“A” has a short U sound. “RI” has a short i sound. “STO” has a short U sound and “CRAT” is just the word “rat” with a C in front. Aristocrat.

Lastly, we have,
Kilogram
Three syllables.
“KIL” sounds exactly the way it’s spelt. “O” has a short U sound and “GRAM” as in “Instagram”. Kilogram.


Moving onto Vocabulary!

The first word is:
1. botanist
Definition
a scientist who studies plants
Used in a sentence you could say,
“Matt Damon played a botanist in the movie, The Martian.”

Next word,
2. aristocrat
Definition
a person of high social rank who belongs to the aristocracy
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“Centuries ago, silk fabric was only available to royalty and aristocrats.”

And lastly,
3. demonstrate
Definition:
to show or make something clear
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“I will not demonstrate the correct shooting form for a jump shot.” (basketball)


Are you confused yet? When I say this always bothered me, I meant it was more of an annoyance. However, this did benefit my friends one time when we drove for many hours to Chicago. My friend was going over the speed limit and we were pulled over by the cops. The police officer mentioned to my friend that he was speeding and my friend quickly responded and told the officer that we were all Canadian. My buddy then went on to say that he was so sorry and that he was confused by the imperial system so we miscalculated the differences. We were used to kilometers and not miles when driving. The police officer took a deep breath and told us to pay more attention to the differences and let us go! That was quick thinking on our friend’s part.

Alright, time to end it here folks. If you want to see what I’m up to, follow my Instagram at hughtran_. Make sure you get your recordings in and I’ll see everyone again in the next episode! Bye!

Day 23.
Oh my! After this pronunciation challenge, I just realized that measuring things in the US are all different than in other countries.

Day 177