Feb 04 2008
21st Century Date
Help me out here.
How do you say “2008”? I say two thousand and eight, not twenty-o-eight. That’s usual, right?
Thinking about the 20th century – we refer to “1901” as nineteen-o-one. Anything greater than 1909, is nineteen…. (i.e. followed by the number). I wonder if people back then said one thousand, nine hundred and one? Somehow I don’t think so. Maybe nineteen hundred and one?
So with all this talk of “twenty-twenty” (no, not the cricket – the 2020 summit), it got me wondering when to we start saying “twenty” followed by the year? Is it 2010 (two thousand and ten vs. twenty ten)?
That’s my random thought for the day. Any edification gratefully received. 😀
note: after writing this I went over to Wikipedia (21st Century) and they make reference to this dilemma, pointing out that 2001: A space Odyssey, may have influenced the way we have pronounced the early 21st century dates (a possibility which actually crossed my mind).
10 Responses to “21st Century Date”
Interesting thought. Never occurred to me earlier. I think its because its just the beginning of the 21st century, and we don’t have a hundred component yet, its convenient to say ‘two thousand….’. In the year 2110, we’d probably refer to it as twenty-one ten.
Nicole Price’s last blog post..Shoes at 80% discount
I’ve heard a few people lay the “blame” for the way we say ‘two thousand and [whatever year it is]’ on “2001: A space Odyssey”. When you think about it though that’s not a bad legacy for the likes of Stanley Kurbrick and Arthur C Clarke. There’s got to be some sort of branding/identity message in that somewhere for the rest of us I think… 😉
John Lampard’s last blog post..Have WordPress themes killed web designers?
I say it like you.
Boo says ‘In the year two thousand and eight that is a leap year’
Yes. Like that.
Like when someone asks how old he will be this year. ‘I will be 10 in the year two thousand and eight that is a leap year’
Freaking robot.
Kelley’s last blog post..Oh. Ooops!
I say it the same way as you, it’s more the media jingle-type snappy “stick in your mind” saying it as “twenty-ten” etc that confuses people and has the divide happening, I think.
Jayne’s last blog post..Lost & Founds
To be honest, it’s not something I’ve given much thought to. But I say two thousand and eight and I think I’ve assumed that I’ll say it two thousand and twenty as well. Dunno really….. You do realise you’ve just sent my brain off on a tangent don’t you…. LOL.
Lightening’s last blog post..Mom’s Blogging Carnival
two thousand and eight here – but have heard 2020.
Interesting I didn’t think much about it either.
Babyamore’s last blog post..Say no to Violence against Women & Children
Wow…what a random thought. But you make an interesting point. What is the difference between then and now…
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Two thousand and eight here. 20-oh-8 doesn’t sound right.
Ian’s last blog post..Rough justice/just desserts
Personally, I think it will become the norm with any year following 2010. I mean, I say two thousand and eight. I’ll say two thousand and nine. And I’ll say two thousand and ten. But two thousand and 11, or twenty eleven? Hmm. Not sure. Definitely not two thousand and thirteen. When it gets there, I’m down with twenty thirteen
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Hrm
Maybe it’s the developer in me, but I say “two-thousand and…” for anything up to and including 2020. Then it starts getting too long (except for the ones divisible by 10) and I use “twenty…”