"Twenty Twenty"

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Derek Jempson
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"Twenty Twenty"

Postby Derek Jempson » Sun Dec 29, 2019 6:25 pm

In another thread today, the poster said this:

I know no human beings except BBC announcers who refer to next year as 'twenty twenty'!

Well, I'm here to tell you that I do, and so do many of my family and acquaintances (I have no friends – I wonder why?).

The year 1900 was without exception (as far as I know) always pronounced, “nineteen hundred”. 1951 was “nineteen fifty-one” and 1999 was “nineteen ninety-nine”. Then on the cusp of the year 2000, something peculiar happened. Many people defied convention and began to pronounce this as “two-thousand” instead of “twenty hundred” as might be reasonably expected (I think that Arthur C. Clarke should take some of the blame, or maybe Stanley Kubrick).

So, now we are stuck with this dual system of pronunciation. I shall continue to be a “twenty-hundred” man, What, may I ask, is easier to pronounce, “two thousand and twenty” (six syllables), or “twenty twenty” (four syllables)?

cbe
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby cbe » Sun Dec 29, 2019 6:37 pm

This being a Hastings site we should perhaps quote 1066. How do we say it?
So 20-20 it is.

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seahermit
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby seahermit » Sun Dec 29, 2019 11:38 pm

I quite agree, it is quite illogical and I cannot defend it! The only possible reason maybe is that people have it in their minds that 2000 was a milestone - so they start counting again from there.

Cannot explain why my friends all do the same: "two thousand and twenty" and so on. But then we are down South - they do funny things way up North!

cbe
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby cbe » Mon Dec 30, 2019 7:11 am

Steady, seahermit

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Derek Jempson
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby Derek Jempson » Mon Dec 30, 2019 7:47 am

Yes, 2000 being a milestone could well be the explanation, and yet it wasn't a milestone since it was the final year of the old millennium and not the first year of the new millennium!

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seahermit
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby seahermit » Mon Dec 30, 2019 11:36 am

Again, I quite agree. The Millennium celebration thing was all nonsense, the beginning of manufactured events and phoney stuff .. or maybe that began with the arch-salesman after the 1997 election! 1st January 2000/2001 were just sets of figures (depending on your religion and what calendar you followed). The world was just the same the next day with all its warts, not at all maybe a cause for pride and celebration.

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Richard
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby Richard » Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:35 pm

For some unknown reason certain Cinema/TV films manage to put the date of production in Roman numerals.
So the new year will soon be MMXX.
There was no distinct Roman symbol to represent zero and thus they can only be used for counting, not calculating.

1995 = millenovecentonovantacinque (anno) MCMXCV

2010 = duemiladieci MMX

2019 = duemiladiciannove MMXIX

2020 = Duemilleventi MMXX


doubtless they will have local differences/preferences!

cbe
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby cbe » Mon Dec 30, 2019 4:19 pm

which raises another question

'Everyone' celebrated the new millennium at midnight on 31st Dec 1999 BUT
surely that was the first BONG of the clock striking and 31st Dec 2000 ended
that period and therefore was the list bong?

we count 1 to 10 but when we are talking of years that single figure is represented
by 12 months /365 days so the year isn't over until 31/12 ??

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Richard
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby Richard » Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:41 pm

Indeed does the first or last strike of Big Ben mark the hour?
It takes around 5 seconds between strikes (bongs) and since there are 11 intervals between 12 strikes then 11 x 2 = 22 seconds until the last strike/bong!
Which implies we may as well start the new year with the first bong.
Or if you wish to get really technical we will just have to agree to some mid-way bong or else us common folk would get confused...

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Richard
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Re: "Twenty Twenty"

Postby Richard » Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:43 pm

What does one computer say to another to wish it a happy new year?


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