Style. Who decides?

So, here's how Canadian Press has decided to identify whether money is in US or Canadian dollars.

Joe Blow signed a US$12 million contract today.

Anyone else think this is idiotic?

If this were reported on the TV it would be said as "Joe Blow signed a twelve million US dollar contract today." Or "Joe Blow signed a contract worth $12 million US dollars, today."

So why wouldn't newspapers print $12 US million at the very least?!

This drives me nuts. Who decides this shit?

 

Must be one of those French things.

They have a tendency to take an adjective from its "normal" spot and move it somewhere awkward.

 

I think that's how most international media refer to foreign currency. The Economist uses C$ for Canadian dollars and A$ for Australian dollars. It uses $ for U.S. dollars.

 

Right, it's just the way these things are done in the world of finance. Although in speech we say "two dollars," not "dollars two," in print we always use "dollars two" in the form $2. Then it only makes sense to attach the national identifier to the dollar sign it modifies.

 

They also have a tendency to retreat with a white flag.

 

Who cares where they put the US?

 

Apparently, SoSueMe cares.

I'd probably write, "$12 million Canadian" or "$12 million American."

Although I've heard some Canadians don't like to use the adjective "American" to refer to the United States. I don't know if it's true, but the story I heard was that they feel Canadians have as much right to call themselves Americans as people from the U.S. do.