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Posted: 22 Sep 2008 22:52
by Rakis
Freakzilla wrote:I haven't called a zero an "oh" since basic radio procedure in the army.
...When you woke up at Oh-four every day ? :wink:

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 05:53
by SandChigger
Freakzilla wrote:I haven't called a zero an "oh" since basic radio procedure in the army.
Ah. So how would you say 1803 or 1905 again?

(It's not silly, Phaedrus, it's just none of us remember living in a year with a zero as the third digit. Wait a decade or two and see how people say the year when they talk about 2008. ;) )

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 07:20
by Laphtiya
SandChigger wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:I haven't called a zero an "oh" since basic radio procedure in the army.
Ah. So how would you say 1803 or 1905 again?

(It's not silly, Phaedrus, it's just none of us remember living in a year with a zero as the third digit. Wait a decade or two and see how people say the year when they talk about 2008. ;) )
Eighteen-O-Three, that simple. Personally I think this year should be Twenty-O-Eight, but I myself say two-thousand and eight. Doesnt sound right after you say Twenty-O-Eight out loud a few times.

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 08:54
by Serkanner
2008 = two thousand eight

1903 = nineteen oh three

10191 = ten thousand one ninety-one

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 11:21
by SandChigger
I love the illogical twaddle people bring out when it comes to things linguistic. :D

Slightly related, but how many of you, by the way, think this century began in 2000?

(And that's twenty-hundred, by the way. :P )

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 12:28
by Omphalos
Slightly related, but how many of you, by the way, think this century began in 2000?
I stopped caring about people getting this one wrong in, like 1995 (nineteen ninety-five :D ), when all the crazies started coming out in the letters to the editor and opinion pages ranting about how many people were idiots for thinking 2000 was the first year of the new millenium. There were so many people who got that one wrong, I dont think it even matters anymore. Fixing that misconception is like trying to keep the ocean back with a broom.

Hell, even Prince got it wrong. And Weird Al Yankovic.

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 12:46
by A Thing of Eternity
I don't even remember/give a shite about that anymore, not like our calendar is actually based on anything (real/important) in the first place. I can say this is year 14?? since the birth of Muhammad(pbuh) for all I give a shit (I know I know, I'm being a dick, everyone has accepted the current year count blah blah blah). :P

Just so I can know if I've been wrong about this, the millenium actually started in 2001 right?

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 13:51
by Laphtiya
A Thing of Eternity wrote:I don't even remember/give a shite about that anymore, not like our calendar is actually based on anything (real/important) in the first place. I can say this is year 14?? since the birth of Muhammad(pbuh) for all I give a shit (I know I know, I'm being a dick, everyone has accepted the current year count blah blah blah). :P

Just so I can know if I've been wrong about this, the millenium actually started in 2001 right?
Its only the christian Calander anyway. Druid calander is different because it is around the year 8000 and the ancient egyptian one it is more like 10'000 :)

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 13:59
by chanilover
Omphalos wrote:
Slightly related, but how many of you, by the way, think this century began in 2000?
I stopped caring about people getting this one wrong in, like 1995 (nineteen ninety-five :D ), when all the crazies started coming out in the letters to the editor and opinion pages ranting about how many people were idiots for thinking 2000 was the first year of the new millenium. There were so many people who got that one wrong, I dont think it even matters anymore. Fixing that misconception is like trying to keep the ocean back with a broom.

Hell, even Prince got it wrong. And Weird Al Yankovic.
Hearing him sing 1999 last year in London was odd but cool. I bet you remember that song from first time around.

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 17:27
by SandChigger
chanilover wrote:Hearing him sing 1999 last year in London was odd but cool. I bet you remember that song from first time around.
Omph might, but I definitely do.

I distinctly remember hearing it the year it came out (nineteen-eighty-two :P ), while sitting in a Pizza Hut across the river in Kentucky with some of my friends. Must have been back from uni. Ah...memories....

(Whoa. :shock: I just realized I was 21 then. Damn...where did the time go?)

Posted: 23 Sep 2008 17:57
by Omphalos
I was 15 when I heard that song. I loved that whole album. Still do. Though not as much as watcing Prince kick Charlie Murhpy's ass at HORSE.

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 10:58
by orald
Damn, Chig, I wasn't even born until 4 years after that! You're friggin' old!!! :shock:


And of course I count the years as B.G. :P

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 12:18
by Phaedrus
SimonH wrote:
Phaedrus wrote:
<snip>

"one thousand nine hundred eight" and "two thousand eight."

<snip>
AFAIK any non american would say "one thousand nine hundred AND eight" or "two thousand AND eight."

since we watch so much of your tv in Aus. i guess I'm pretty used to it, but it still sounds pretty weird to me :P
I was taught in elementary school that "and" denotes a decimal.

"Two thousand and eight" would be 2000.8.

SC: I think the difference between 1908 and 2008 isn't in the fact that there's a zero in the third digit, but the one in the second digit that makes the difference to people. "Twenty oh eight," to me, sounds like there's an inconsistency in the naming of the numbers, as the first is a double digit, and the other two are single digit. "Twenty-ten" is alright, and "two thousand eight" is alright, because one is evenly distributed, and the other is just a correct, non-abbreviated name. "Two oh oh eight" would be acceptable, but it REALLY sounds silly.

EDIT: Just realized that part of the above rationalization makes no sense. "nineteen oh eight" is also the double/single split. Something about the double 8 and the whole millennium thing makes "twenty oh eight" feel wrong, but "twenty ten" and on feel right. I hold it's the double zero thing.

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 12:29
by A Thing of Eternity
There's a possibility I was taught this wrong in school (oh, I've caught them for quite a few errors over the years) but "and" definitely does not denote a decimal up here - and I've never heard anyone use it that way, including Americans. We say (generally, I do hear people drop the and from time to time) 105 as one hundred and five, same goes for whatever number of digits the number has, we put the and before the last digit. For a decimal we generally say "point", 105.5 becomes one hundred and five point five.

That's how we roll anyways, can't say for certain whether or not it's technically correct as per the old-school rules.

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 13:10
by A Thing of Eternity
Baraka Bryan wrote:
A Thing of Eternity wrote:There's a possibility I was taught this wrong in school (oh, I've caught them for quite a few errors over the years) but "and" definitely does not denote a decimal up here - and I've never heard anyone use it that way, including Americans. We say (generally, I do hear people drop the and from time to time) 105 as one hundred and five, same goes for whatever number of digits the number has, we put the and before the last digit. For a decimal we generally say "point", 105.5 becomes one hundred and five point five.

That's how we roll anyways, can't say for certain whether or not it's technically correct as per the old-school rules.

also in Canada... i wrote above and repeat here that "and" denotes a decimal in my book. that's how I was taught.

even had a math teacher that would ask questions in late grade school and we'd work things out and she'd ask for a verbal answer and if you used "and" improperly, she'd tell you that you were wrong. usually people would be really confused for a bit and recheck their answers until the next person answered it with the right syntax and then you'd feel like an idiot...

it was effective. stayed with me. 105 is "one-hundred, five".
Weird. If I think back I do remember someone teaching that using the "and" like I do is incorrect, but is correct denoting a decimal? I have never heard anyone use the "and" for a decimal 105.5 one hundred five and five? Not once do I recall hearing that, not saying it's wrong, just that I don't think anyone on this continent actually uses it when speaking.

You don't say "point" for the decimal place?

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 13:11
by orald
I'm with AToE. Besides, in Hebrew we have to say the "and" part.
You yanks have a silly language. Eh, AToE? :P

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 13:22
by A Thing of Eternity
orald wrote:I'm with AToE. Besides, in Hebrew we have to say the "and" part.
You yanks have a silly language. Eh, AToE? :P
English is a stupid language no matter what the dialect. I'm curious about this whole "and" denoting the decimal, I've never heard it used.

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 13:37
by DuneFishUK
A Thing of Eternity wrote:I'm curious about this whole "and" denoting the decimal, I've never heard it used.
New to me too - could it be a throwback to saying "nine-and-three-quarter inches" etc? There the and is a divider between the whole and the part... still bizarre though.

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 13:55
by TheDukester
Phaedrus wrote:I was taught in elementary school that "and" denotes a decimal.

"Two thousand and eight" would be 2000.8.
Never even heard of this ... every person I know who has to use a decimal in conversation says "point."

"Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert have one-point-two brains between them."

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 18:29
by SimonH
Phaedrus wrote: I was taught in elementary school that "and" denotes a decimal.

"Two thousand and eight" would be 2000.8.
I have never heard of this either. Weird :shock:

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 19:45
by Omphalos
I was taught that "and" denotes the result of addition, thus "two thousand and eight equals 2008.

Posted: 25 Sep 2008 22:34
by Rakis
SimonH wrote:
Phaedrus wrote: I was taught in elementary school that "and" denotes a decimal.

"Two thousand and eight" would be 2000.8.
I have never heard of this either. Weird :shock:
Ditto...

Posted: 26 Sep 2008 12:10
by A Thing of Eternity
Where's that guy who actually speaks English fluently?... Chig - we need you!

Posted: 26 Sep 2008 14:58
by Serkanner
Uhm ... should that be for example 5.4 = five point four and not five and four?

In other words 2000 and 8, means adding(+) 8 to 2000 = 2008

Of course when you have things like half or quarter and 6/8 you also use and, but that also means + ... 5.4 can be pronounced as 5 and four/tenth

Posted: 26 Sep 2008 15:11
by A Thing of Eternity
Serkanner wrote:Uhm ... should that be for example 5.4 = five point four and not five and four?

In other words 2000 and 8, means adding(+) 8 to 2000 = 2008

Of course when you have things like half or quarter and 6/8 you also use and, but that also means + ... 5.4 can be pronounced as 5 and four/tenth
That's how I see it, but I really don't know if it's technically correct.