From: Philippe Verdy (verdy_p@wanadoo.fr)
Date: Thu Mar 31 2005 - 12:57:51 CST
From: "Peter Kirk" <peterkirk@qaya.org>
> On 30/03/2005 22:09, Charles wrote:
>> ... The "#" as a number sign I would regard as relatively
>> uncommon in British usage by comparison with "No." (U+2116).
>>
> I agree that we write "No." rather than "#". But we use a simple string
> "N", "o", ".", rather than U+2116. U+2116 is commonly used as a single
> character in Cyrillic script (which has no "N" shape). Indeed it is
> included in Russian typewriters and computer keyboards as a single-width
> character, accessed by the "1" key (to get "1", type shift-1).
Old mechanic French typewriters also had a key (on the left of the "1" key)
for "N°" as a single character, sometimes printed with a underlined o on
some models, before it was replaced by various symbols, and now today on PC
by the exponent 2 digit.
In French texts, we can see today either "No." or "no." entered as 3 basic
letters and a dot, or "N°" or "n°" with two characters where the second is
the degree symbol on Shift+")", located on PC keyboards between the "0" and
"+" keys. But never "#"... When "N°" is used it is always meaning an ordinal
(rank) that abbreviates the term "numéro", and not a cardinal meaning "count
of" which in French is "nombre" commonly abbreviated as "Nbr." or "Nb."
(with or without the capitalization of N).
I think that Spanish users will use the masculine letter mark to compose
"N°" or "n°", as they don't have the degree symbol on their native keyboard.
(It may even happen that the real degree unit sign, for example in "60°41'N
5°16'W", is written using this masculine letter mark).
I don't know what Italians enter, but the "No." abbreviation is also common
there.
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