tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post253976619980890803..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: numbers, numbers and more numberslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-45038074579753753952016-11-25T11:32:09.440+00:002016-11-25T11:32:09.440+00:00The 'p' in 'pahn' in (I know no ot...The 'p' in 'pahn' in (I know no other way to say this, so sorry if it's elitist or offensive to anyone) working-class London speech tends to get tagged onto the 'two' and followed by a glottal stop, the effect being 'too(p) ahnd fifty', which is surely what jhm is hearing. 'Two and fifty' can only ever be archaic for 52.KeithDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10451059429340892054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67477314530012003712015-07-11T02:09:52.066+01:002015-07-11T02:09:52.066+01:00Here I am, posting way late because I decided to r...Here I am, posting way late because I decided to read all the posts from the beginning. Has anyone else noticed that we in AmE will say 900 (nine hundred) and 1100 (eleven hundred) but 1000 can only be one thousand, never ten hundred?Vnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-56057995254368182822014-08-29T10:25:17.578+01:002014-08-29T10:25:17.578+01:00Aussie here: We keep the 'and' here like t...Aussie here: We keep the 'and' here like the british. Though in colloquial speech its more like an 'an' or a 'n'.<br /><br />The thousand numbers are more interesting. Ive noticed if its a model of something the american usage occurs. Numbers are always in the british style.<br /><br />Of course colloquially there is more room for creativity:<br />Two thousand five hundred<br />Twenty-five hundred<br />Two point five K<br />two and a half (thousand, by context)<br />two and a half thou-<br />and so on...<br /><br />As for house adresses, Ive seen quite a few 5 digit addresses on some rural roads here. (Rural addresses are based upon their distance from one end of the road) 82 = 820m, 743 = 7.43km, 13595 = 130.48km. Makes it very easy to find any rural address. Numbers are usually grouped. the middle example would be said as seven forty three.<br />To make things simpler the numbers start over once the road gets to 1000km (if not sooner).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-35997917241593438382014-03-22T00:15:41.640+00:002014-03-22T00:15:41.640+00:00Oh dear very late comment! I blame in on a recent ...Oh dear very late comment! I blame in on a recent blog by Lynne wherein she posted a lot of links to old blogs...<br /><br />So I am a BrE speaker & work in pensions/ finance & I would say two spot five zero for what I would colloquially refer to as two pound fifty or even two bob fifty!<br /><br />I would never & never come across in finance in the UK or at school the expression two and fifty to describe two point fifty. Although I should think that would be two and five zero although I would normally say two point five or two spot five unless it's money then the aforementioned applies.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10830320891404684967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20569892012597214502009-12-22T18:19:38.946+00:002009-12-22T18:19:38.946+00:00I remember, in one of my children's books, in ...I remember, in one of my children's books, in "a list of question nobody will get right", the following question:<br /><br />write "Eleven Thousand Eleven Hundred Eleven" using numerals. <br /><br />12111 <br /><br />I think it was even a UK book, though I can't be sure.Boris Zakharinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16560756640621720539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13827355296120388972008-08-05T13:57:00.000+01:002008-08-05T13:57:00.000+01:00In the Dutch language, the order of the million ma...In the Dutch language, the order of the million magnitudes is: miljoen (^6), miljard (^9), biljoen(^12), biljard(^15), triljoen(^18), triljard (^21). Anything above 'miljard' is extremely rare though.<BR/><BR/>There's two things that made me run into to this blog when googling:<BR/><BR/>1. Why does the <B>decimal</B> system have <B>12</B> unique numbers (not counting zero)? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. <BR/>This same thing happens in Dutch and German as well. <BR/><BR/>2. Why does the English numeral system stop reversing the last two digits after 20? Why is 19 "nineteen" ("<I>nine (and) ten</I>") and 99 "ninety nine"? <BR/>In Dutch it's pronounced as "negen_en_negentig" or "nine_and_ninty". (Germans pronounce 99 in a similar way, as "neun_und_neunzig")Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11820056298203830075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11400027980659621552008-01-19T14:25:00.000+00:002008-01-19T14:25:00.000+00:00My housenumbe ris 1099.it is no on a long street b...My housenumbe ris 1099.it is no on a long street but in a suburb of Jeffreys Bay in South Africa with a lot of little winding streets. and canals. RosemarieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-82048389589003923022007-11-27T21:47:00.000+00:002007-11-27T21:47:00.000+00:00Here's one that really drives me mental - 3.45 bei...Here's one that really drives me mental - 3.45 being read as "three point forty-five".<BR/><BR/>I have heard this quite often here in the US but NEVER in the UK. Although I must point out that I moved from UK to US 15 years ago, so things might have changed since then...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-31975953824017218052007-10-21T00:02:00.000+01:002007-10-21T00:02:00.000+01:00I live with a house address of 2400, and I always...I live with a house address of 2400, and I always think "twenty-four hundred," but I often spell it out when giving directions over the phone. "That's twenty-four hundred, two-four-zero-zero." My previous addresses were 1130 and 4031, always said as eleven-thirty, and forty-thirty-one.<BR/>I also think that "twenty-number" will feel more comfortable when we're at about 2012.<BR/>I think it's all about the change to the new millennium and the prior anticipation of "In the year TWO THOUSAND such and such will be the case." No one ever said "in the year twenty-hundred."(And don't get persnickety about whether it was 2000 or 2001 for the millennium--perception is everything, and it was the big "2" rolling around that caught everyone's mind.)<BR/>TarazaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-46089638381135707322007-10-19T17:53:00.000+01:002007-10-19T17:53:00.000+01:00Americans do indeed say oh for zero in telephone n...Americans do indeed say oh for zero in telephone numbers.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-72194935007283266942007-07-27T11:59:00.000+01:002007-07-27T11:59:00.000+01:00In Scottish English (and I suspect in Welsh too) h...In Scottish English (and I suspect in Welsh too) house numbering can be even more complicated. I'm retirng in a few years' time to the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. Our new house will be numbered 4 1/2 (four and a half) Achachork, because there's already a number four and a number five. And there are no road names, just a string of houses.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-15529951432258395852007-07-25T20:19:00.000+01:002007-07-25T20:19:00.000+01:00Other number differences:* zero vs nought* zero vs...Other number differences:<BR/>* zero vs nought<BR/>* zero vs nil (sport{s})<BR/>* "oh": Do americans use this for "zero" in phone numbers as brits do?<BR/>* minus seven vs negative seven<BR/>* minus seven vs seven below (temperature)<BR/>* two to the power of three vs two to the third<BR/>* one-third vs a third<BR/>* three-fourths vs three-quarters<BR/>* half-an-hour vs a half-hour<BR/><BR/>Re "two and fifty": prior to decimalisation, "two and six" meant 2 shillings and 6 old pence. Since there are 12 old pence in a shilling, fifty would be impossible; "two and elevenpence halfpenny" would be the highest.<BR/><BR/>I was making a date with an American.<BR/>I said "let's meet at half four".<BR/>She said "let's meet at quarter of eight".<BR/>We met at two.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69004134488504212892007-07-25T18:06:00.000+01:002007-07-25T18:06:00.000+01:00Recently, I bought a magazine (I think it was prob...Recently, I bought a magazine (I think it was probably the marvellous Scientific American Mind) which had a quiz in it. One of the questions was "What is the lowest whole number that contains the letter A?" Knowing it was a US publication, I was able to work out that the answer they wanted was "One Thousand". To my BrE mind and ear, however, the correct answer is "One Hundred and One". Or even, possibly, "A Hundred".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-80551894039985395242007-07-25T12:21:00.000+01:002007-07-25T12:21:00.000+01:00Janet:"Two-five-zero" is a sales technique. I was ...Janet:<BR/><BR/>"Two-five-zero" is a sales technique. I was first taught to quote prices in this way by the (American) Sales Manager of an American company that I worked for in the UK.<BR/><BR/>"Two hundred (and) fifty" is a large amount of money, and the customer may be reluctant to spend this amount.<BR/><BR/>"Two-five-zero", on the other hand, is a small amount of money, and the customer will be delighted to make such a wise investment in order to own the product.<BR/><BR/>The "zero" is probably best avoided. "Two-five-one" is an even smaller amount of money than "two-five-zero", and an even better investment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13483541353830997602007-07-24T16:03:00.000+01:002007-07-24T16:03:00.000+01:00I'm not sure whether this is off topic (I can't fi...I'm not sure whether this is off topic (I can't find any other post on adresses) but where I live in Bayswater you can find roads that are different street names on each side. You get this where you have two adjacent garden squares. If each has a block of houses giving directly on to one side of the gardens, and the two blocks are on opposite sides of the same street, then they have different names. Examples are Princes Square and Leinster Square and Gloucester Terrace and Prochester Square. Unfortunately neither streetmap.co.uk nor the Google map show this accurately.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-3944251725157388242007-07-23T16:54:00.000+01:002007-07-23T16:54:00.000+01:00Quote: "I get irritated when the BBC news’s reader...Quote: <I>"I get irritated when the BBC news’s reader states” The Bank of England have increased interest rates by a quarter of one percent”. What is wrong with “a quarter percent”?</I>"<BR/><BR/>Because "per cent" means "of a hundred" or "in a hundred" and "a quarter percent" is either meaningless or means 25, depending on how you want to interpret it. <BR/><BR/>Neil - <I>"The calendar has the year at the top - in words. And it says "Two Thousand And Seven".</I> <BR/><BR/>Well, I'm sorry, but so what? What would you have thought of a calendar from 1907 that said "One Thousand Nine Hundred and Seven" on it? You'd have thought, correctly, that it was wrong - so why the difference for 2007?<BR/><BR/>Personally I blame Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick - fantastic mover, 2001, but dreadfull error in not making sure everybody called it "Twenty Oh One" ...Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703548364118364764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-86180186962304679812007-07-22T17:51:00.000+01:002007-07-22T17:51:00.000+01:00To Stephen (on Indian counting):A hundred crore is...To Stephen (on Indian counting):<BR/><BR/>A hundred crore is equal to one arab (1,00,00,00,000).<BR/><BR/>--AnonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34484139123383966702007-07-22T01:56:00.000+01:002007-07-22T01:56:00.000+01:00I agree with jhm's list. Regarding johnb's good p...I agree with jhm's list. Regarding johnb's good point, things are different when it's just one dollar. So, for me:<BR/><BR/>"a dollar fifty" - good<BR/>"one dollar fifty" - bad<BR/>"one fifty" - good<BR/>"one dollar and fifty cents" - good<BR/><BR/>To my ears (Western US), "a dollar ten" doesn't sound as good as "one ten" or "a dollar and ten cents". But maybe I'm slowly losing my AmE ear.<BR/><BR/>When I used to live in the US, I was talking with a guy from Pittsburg, and he said that, unlike me, he would never say something costs "a buck". I think he said he would only use it in the plural. I can't remember if he said anything about "a buck fifty" or similar phrases.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05238563873018935005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33306972951153349792007-07-21T16:59:00.000+01:002007-07-21T16:59:00.000+01:00Oh I am sure I have heard a Dollar Fifty on my var...Oh I am sure I have heard a Dollar Fifty on my various visites to the states - as well as two dollars fifty, three dollars fifty etc. <BR/><BR/>Not sure which part of the states specifically, although I suspect PA is most likely. (As that is where my wife's family is from, so that is where most of the recent visits have been)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-41153959644156433822007-07-21T15:03:00.000+01:002007-07-21T15:03:00.000+01:00Even if I heard "two pound fifty" incorrectly [ter...Even if I heard "two pound fifty" incorrectly [terrycollmann], I don't know any AmE speaker who would say "two dollar(s) fifty."<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure if it all adds up to a general rule, it is curious that I would feel uncomfortable placing anything in between the dollars and the cents without I specifically said "fifty cents."<BR/>exs:<BR/><BR/>"two fifty" --good<BR/>"two and fifty" --bad<BR/>"two dollars fifty" --bad<BR/>"two dollars and fifty cents" --good<BR/>"two and a half dollars" --good<BR/><BR/>I add that I too was taught to only use 'and' in place of the decimal point, but this was only with monetary figures and always followed by "cents." This was mostly, in my mind at least, to avoid utterances like: 'one thousand and two hundred and ten dollars and ten cents.'jhmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15024302748759726815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-66662743294999478372007-07-21T12:12:00.000+01:002007-07-21T12:12:00.000+01:00Sorry, Lynne!James makes a good point with 'other ...Sorry, Lynne!<BR/><BR/>James makes a good point with 'other than', though, and if you start a new topic about 'different than', I'll post an answer of sorts to it there!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67072442681131090372007-07-21T08:27:00.000+01:002007-07-21T08:27:00.000+01:00You've not mentioned the Indians who use lakh (a h...You've not mentioned the Indians who use lakh (a hundred thousand) and crore (ten millions) instead of millions and billions.<BR/><BR/>So a million would be a ten lakh (10,00,000) and a billion would be a hundred crore (100,00,00,000).Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05952564820382472228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-27295912012544396862007-07-21T08:07:00.000+01:002007-07-21T08:07:00.000+01:00Try telling someone you live at 20060 X Street...I...Try telling someone you live at 20060 X Street...If you say two hundred sixty, they think 260... so you have to "spell it out" every time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-65423200501905040512007-07-21T08:00:00.000+01:002007-07-21T08:00:00.000+01:00Is it a variant of ;p - winking while sticking you...Is it a variant of ;p - winking while sticking your tongue out?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-30688198082481768462007-07-21T00:57:00.000+01:002007-07-21T00:57:00.000+01:00I have relatives with house numbers of over 20000....I have relatives with house numbers of over 20000. They live a few miles outside a town of 800 in South Dakota, USA. In South Dakota, the statewide grid of mile roads is numbered (so that there are around 300 roads running east-west and 500 running north-south). Then people who live outside of towns with denser numberings can have house numbers based on the mile roads (e.g. 23403 will be near a cross street of 234).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com