Why don't we say Twenty Oh Seven?

[Brian Cronin]

Ask a Cubs fan the last time they won the World Series, they'll tell you (after being irked at you for bringing up a painful memory for them), "Nineteen Oh Eight."

You'll get the same from anyone else for other events from those years - for instance, Taft was elected President in "Nineteen Oh Eight."

So why do we say "Two Thousand and Seven" instead of "Twenty Oh Seven"?

-Brian

[Stony]

I think we have to wait until after 2010
No I don't know why...

What I'm more concerned about is why they didn't schedule a James Bond film for THIS YEAR!!!!

007 for 2007!!!! How perfect would that have been?? But no... Bloody Cubby

[Loren]

Ask a Cubs fan the last time they won the World Series, they'll tell you (after being irked at you for bringing up a painful memory for them), "Nineteen Oh Eight."

You'll get the same from anyone else for other events from those years - for instance, Taft was elected President in "Nineteen Oh Eight."

So why do we say "Two Thousand and Seven" instead of "Twenty Oh Seven"?

Charles Osgood always says "Twenty Oh Seven" on CBS Sunday Morning. To me, at least, it sounds a lot more cultured.

I've been meaning to make a custom of using the term myself, but I've just never succeeded in making it habitual.

[BizarroBeachHead]

I would prefer Twenty Oh Seven to actually saying two thousand seven.

Myself, I'm just glad I get to say Aught Seven, though I don't think I've ever had to spell it until just now....

[Michael P]

People always laugh at me when I call this decade "the Aughts."

One day soon, I'll have my revenge...

[Sean Whitmore]

People always laugh at me when I call this decade "the Aughts."

One day soon, I'll have my revenge...

You'll show 'em all once you become a double-naught spy.


SEAN

[Lorendiac]

I have often wondered about this myself. Back around 1999 and 2000, I think I expected us all to start saying "Twenty Oh One," and then "Twenty Oh Two," and so forth, in the near future. From time to time over the last seven years I've scratched my head and asked myself why it didn't happen that way. (Although I never actually got excited enough about the issue to post a question on a discussion board, as Brian just did.) At any rate: When I constantly hear everybody around me saying "Twenty Oh Seven," I automatically follow suit rather than rock the boat by constantly quibbling over such a tiny detail . . .

[mattbib]

It probably goes back to how we refer the thousands in the first place.

I might say sixteen-hundred instead of one-thousand six-hundred or nineteen-hundred instead of one-thousand nine-hundred. But I'd never say twenty-hundred instead of two-thousand.

[Lorendiac]

It probably goes back to how we refer the thousands in the first place.

I might say sixteen-hundred instead of one-thousand six-hundred or nineteen-hundred instead of one-thousand nine-hundred. But I'd never say twenty-hundred instead of two-thousand.

On the other hand, I normally call the year of the Norman Conquest of England "Ten Sixty-Six" instead of "One Thousand Sixty-Six."

[dancj]

Maybe it's just because "two thousand" is a lot quicker to say than "nineteen hundred" or "one thousand nine hindred".

Or maybe it's just because of 2001: A Space Oddysey

[Chris Nowlin]

Not sure how the movie, Twenty-O-One applies.

[Shellhead]

Maybe it's a midwestern thing, but I think people that I deal with on a regular basis around here are consistently saying "oh-six" when referring to last year.
For example, my boss will ask me to re-print the oh-six financials, or pull up the oh-four tax return. But when we're talking large quantities, we use "k" for one thousand. For example, we spent an extra five k on office supplies in first quarter. Come to think of it, maybe it's more of an accounting/finance habit than regional dialect.

[Gilda Dent]

I think it's because with 1908, "nineteen oh eight" is actually a shortened form of the older "nineteen hundred [and] eight". We say things like "nineteen hundred" because it's quicker and easier than saying "one thousand nine hundred".

There is, however, no advantage to "twenty hundred" over "two thousand". "Twenty oh eight," though accurate from a visual standpoint, conflicts with the way we generally read numbers. We wouldn't say "twenty hundred and eight" if it weren't a year, so the reluctance to use that format carries over from how we read numbers generally to how we read years.

[Matt Algren]

Unless I'm misremembering my math lessons, the and in Two thousand and seven is incorrect. It should just be two thousand seven, since the and indicates a decimal.

Round here, people tend to just say oh-seven instead of the whole thing, but if they say the whole thing, say two thousand and seven. Fortunately, in two years, it'll matter a whole lot less, since we can get back to the old format and say twenty ten.

[Gilda Dent]

[QUOTE=Matt Algren;5871318]Unless I'm misremembering my math lessons, the and in Two thousand and seven is incorrect. It should just be two thousand seven, since the and indicates a decimal.[quote]

This is correct when reading numbers in a purely mathematical context.

In common usage outside of that context, however, it's very common to insert an "and" between the hundreds and tens place. It's like the difference between "theory" in common usage and when specifically used to describe a scientific theory.

Teaching students not to insert the "and" between hundreds and tens, when speaking that way is a normal feature of the language can be quite a chore.

[Matt Algren]

This is correct when reading numbers in a purely mathematical context.

In common usage outside of that context, however, it's very common to insert an "and" between the hundreds and tens place. It's like the difference between "theory" in common usage and when specifically used to describe a scientific theory.

Teaching students not to insert the "and" between hundreds and tens, when speaking that way is a normal feature of the language can be quite a chore.It's one of my pet peeves. I've learned to stifle and get relief later through cutting.

[Chris Nowlin]

It's one of my pet peeves. I've learned to stifle and get relief later through cutting.

Cutting yourself is no way to deal with what annoys you.

I like to put the and in the proper spot when writing checks.

And I do refer to this year as Two thousand seven.

Though from now on, I'll call it Double-O-Seven.

[Matt Algren]

I like to put the and in the proper spot when writing checks.You mean everybody doesn't do that? I thought that was the law or something.

[Chris Nowlin]

You mean everybody doesn't do that? I thought that was the law or something.

I always took it for granted that spelling on a check should be important for legal reasons. And as far as I know, everybody does it correctly.

But as I look around me, it seems quite unlikely that people are careful enough for such concerns.

[Gilda Dent]

I think the only rule is that both the number amount and the word amount have to match for the check to be legal.

I haven't hand written a check in so long I can't remember the last time. Nearly everything goes through e-check, debit card, or cash. Anything requiring an actual check I use our money management program, print out and sign the check with amounts pre-printed.

[Puma]

[QUOTE=Matt Algren;5871318]Unless I'm misremembering my math lessons, the and in Two thousand and seven is incorrect. It should just be two thousand seven, since the and indicates a decimal.[quote]

This is correct when reading numbers in a purely mathematical context.



Here I've been writing checks correctly for all these years without even knowing that there was a correct method.

[Athena Bast]

I just say 2-double oh-7.

I've heard some say Twenty-knot-7 too.

[dancj]

Unless I'm misremembering my math lessons, the and in Two thousand and seven is incorrect. It should just be two thousand seven, since the and indicates a decimal.
Eewwww!!

I can't stand it without the 'and'. I'm a programmer and the oracle built in function that can turn numbers into words leaves out the 'and' which is why we never use it. Until I read your post I always thought the Oracle developers had cocked it up.

I think I'll stick with my own personal theory that that's an American standard and the British way is to leave the "and" in.

[Loren]

I think the only rule is that both the number amount and the word amount have to match for the check to be legal.

I know that banks will, at least occasionally, honor checks where the numbers disagree (e.g., "Twelve Hundred Dollars" vs. $12,000.00). However, they'll only honor it for the lower amount.

[Paradox]

I think this phenomenon has more to do with how it rolls off your tongue verbally than any rules or anything. I'm sure some linguistics expert could explain why. Two thousand seven has a better cadence and is less awkward than twenty oh seven, at least for me. I think it has to do with twenty ending in a "y" and then the next sound is a vowel. It's awkward without a REAL consonant in there to break it up.

[Sanagi]

Twenty-oh-seven is also a little bit more of a workout for the facial muscles.

[dancj]

Two thousand seven has a better cadence and is less awkward than twenty oh seven, at least for me.
"Two thousand seven" sounds terrible to me. "Two thousand and seven" sounds fine though

[howyadoin]

Ask a Cubs fan the last time they won the World Series, they'll tell you (after being irked at you for bringing up a painful memory for them), "Nineteen Oh Eight."

So why do we say "Two Thousand and Seven" instead of "Twenty Oh Seven"?Because people talk differently now than they did a hundred years ago.

[Agent Helix]

Because saying "Two Thousand Seven" is easier than saying "Twenty Oh Seven", much like "Ninteen Ninety Eight" was easier than saying "One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Eight".

When the decade changes, we'll probably start alternating between "twenty" and "two thousand", and when the century changes, it'll be "twenty-one" all the way.

[Brian Cronin]

Because saying "Two Thousand Seven" is easier than saying "Twenty Oh Seven", much like "Ninteen Ninety Eight" was easier than saying "One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Eight".How is "Two Thousand Seven" easier than "Twenty Oh Seven"?

-Brian

[Brian Cronin]

Because people talk differently now than they did a hundred years ago.

Perhaps, but that doesn't go to the point, does it?

Because people refer to 1907 as Nineteen Oh Seven NOW, yet 2007 as Two Thousand Seven.

-Brian

[Paradox]

Brian Cronin should look up:

How is "Two Thousand Seven" easier than "Twenty Oh Seven"?

See my post above. I'm almost certain it's the two non-dipthonged vowel sounds together.

[MWGallaher]

Seems simple to me. In 2000, we had to decide what we were going to say.
1) "Two thousand"
2) "Twenty hundred"
3) "Twenty oh-oh"
4) "Twenty naught"
5) Any other ways you can think of, such as "Two zero zero zero".

Since we don't generally convert thousands to tens of hundreds when referring to an integer multiple of thousands (that is, we'll say "sixteen hundred" for 1600 but not "forty hundred" for 4000), the English-speaking population generally went with option 1 above, "Two thousand" for 2000. By the time 2001 came around, we'd had a year getting accustomed to the phrase and we kept referring to subsequent years with the same prefix.

When 2100 comes around, I doubt we'll be speaking current-day English any more, so I won't guess how our descendents--or, heck, maybe we, if we're lucky--will phrase the number.

[Shellhead]

Perhaps, but that doesn't go to the point, does it?

Because people refer to 1907 as Nineteen Oh Seven NOW, yet 2007 as Two Thousand Seven.

-Brian

Blame Arthur C. Clarke.