Pronouncing years
My grandparents spoke of the first decade of the twentieth century from their own experience and they never said "nineteen-oh-one". It was "nineteen one".
"Oh" evolved as a way to pronounce telephone numbers, being more distinctive than "nought" on a crackly line. Its usage in pronouncing a year arose afterwards, incorrect because unnecessary: "nineteen-one" is unambiguous.
Unfortunately we cannot say the same of 2001. "The year twenty one" sounds like "the year twentyone". I am happy to say "two thousand and one" for I am not in a hurry.
I prefer to say "the world-wide web" than "double-you double-you double-you". there are far fewer syllables.
Before decimal currency came in to the UK in 1971, the old pennies were spelt "d" - abbreviation for "denarii" and pronounced penny or pence. For some incomprehensible reason, the public after decimalization consented to call the new penny a "pee": one pee, two pee, half-pee (now obsolete). Why?
2 comments:
vincent: wow, I am impressed with your quiet insight. I am also equally satisfied with having met you on Paul's blog. I would be truly grateful if we could keep acquaintances. I have aspirations of one day crossing the pond, and, were it to take place, I think would be a great opportunity to sit down over some pints and reminisce about just the thing you've mentioned here.
I also think of my elder ancestry with high regard. The things they've known are almost completely elusive to me, having grown up in this "new world." I often-times muse what I would have become, had I the same circumstances they did. However, I also try to resolve that I am where I am, and for good reason. It's a quandary between necessity and desire, from which many good things I hope will blossom.
Thanks for writing. Your style strikes me as poetry... perhaps it's the Brit vernacular, but more likely it is your beautiful vision of things.
Thank you!
Tim
Tim you strike me as a very perceptive young man! Let us get to know one another then.
Another thing about the pronouncing of years, which is worth mentioning is that the older black people in US and Jamaica follow the same convention as my grandparents. Not that my grandparents would necessarily have been pleased at that for they were probably prejudiced racially.
Now of course I shall visit your own blog and possibly plaster it with comments, if the inspiration so strikes!
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