GalacticCactus Forum

Forums => English & Linguistics => Topic started by: Porter on September 21, 2005, 09:09:29 AM

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Porter on September 21, 2005, 09:09:29 AM

Twenty-Nine hundred = Two thousand, nine hundred.  Fine.
Thirty-One hundred = Three thousand, one hundred.  Fine.

But...

Thirty hundred doesn't sound right.

Why?

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Brinestone on September 21, 2005, 09:24:03 AM

Because "three thousand" is easy to say, so we say it more often.  

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Jonathon on September 21, 2005, 09:32:10 AM

The "twenty-nine hundred" method is used when it's shorter. "Thirty hundred" isn't shorter than the more straightforward "three thousand," so there's no reason to say it.

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Porter on September 21, 2005, 09:32:53 AM

Huh.  That makes a lot of sense.

Why didn't I think of that?

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Jonathon on September 21, 2005, 09:33:23 AM

Because you're an engineer. :P  

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Porter on September 21, 2005, 09:34:54 AM

No, that's not it.

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: pattyshmack on September 21, 2005, 12:21:48 PM

The other day I was trying to figure out how to say 2053 differently.  I ended up saying twenty-hundred and fifty-three and it sounded really stupid.  I like the usual two-thousand and fifty-three.  (By the way I was trying to say the year 2053)

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: rivka on September 21, 2005, 08:20:45 PM

Why? Does your cellphone's calendar only go up to that date?

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: pooka on September 26, 2005, 01:06:10 PM

But thirty-five hundred works.

Is twenty hundred really okay without some other number between the twenty and the hundred?  Do people really say ten hundred?  I think people know what you mean if you say them.  But once you have asked the question, you can no longer provide data.  Unless you can go back to some video or recording made previously.

I once accidentally recorded my siblings and I hanging around talking one sunday afternoon.  I moved some stuff off the piano and the tape recorder fell on the floor in a way that it magically started recording.

One of the challenges of linguistic study is that it is generally considered ethical to let people know they are being studied, but if they know they are being studied they don't talk naturally.  

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Teshi on October 08, 2005, 10:08:20 AM

I might say 2053 as just "twenty fifty-three". After all, you don't say "ninteen hundred ninety-nine" you say "nineteen ninety-nine".

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Porter on October 08, 2005, 10:52:01 AM

Actually, I do say "ninteen hundred and ninety-nine" except for when I am referring to date.

Title: Thirty Hundred
Post by: Teshi on October 08, 2005, 10:56:28 AM

I am talking about years because pattyshmack was talking about years. Normal numbers I would say one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine.