You wouldn't perchance be one of those annoying gits who when the doctor confirms you weigh x stone, you say "I mass x stone, I weigh y KN" ?? (Musket 02 Oct 14 - 02:16 PM)

Overlooking the probability that such a pedant would not work in stones but kilograms and also overlooking that they would be unlikely to convert to kilo Newtons (the symbol for which is kN not KN) rather than Newtons (N) - since 1 kN is approximately 16.0577816031 stones -: would that mean that the person who replied thus to the doctor was incorrect?

Just because the "man in the street" might confuse terms for mass and weight and use them in a slipshod manner doesn't make him right.

It seems inevitable that there are several definitions of "folk song" depending on whether they are the ones used by the "man in the street" or someone who has actually immersed themselves in the topic. It's also probably inevitable that the man in the street resents the perceived privilege of those who have worked harder to gain deeper knowledge and expertise.

I'm quite happy to use the term either way depending on who I'm talking with. I'm just surprised that there are people on Mudcat demanding that I only use the "man in the street" definition and ridiculing not only those who wish to be more precise but also the very value of the original concept.   Can anyone point me to a specialist folk song site?