Re: The English/French counting system (WAS: number systems fromconlangs)
| From: | Tristan McLeay <zsau@...> |
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| Date: | Tuesday, September 16, 2003, 11:13 |
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On Tue, 16 Sep 2003, John Cowan wrote:
> Tristan McLeay scripsit:
>
> > _Another_ oddity of Americans and time-telling is the way they use seasons
> > for time, in spite of the total absence of a relation between what they're
> > saying and the weather. This means that 'fall' may translate into either
> > 'autumn' or 'spring' depending on context, and usually the latter.
>
> What on earth are you talking about?
The bottom half.
> "Fall" is a synonym for "autumn",
> always; indeed, it is the original and native word, which we in North
> America retained when the Brits (and their more junior colonies) switched
> to the more pompous Latin derivative. It refers to the period between
> 21 September and 22 December, give or take a day; of course, in informal
> use it may start later or end sooner, depending on the weather and the
> climate in the location where the person is speaking. The etymology of
> the term is transparent, and refers to the behavior of deciduous trees
> in preparation for winter.
Spring in Australia starts on 1 September and finishes on 30 November.
(People stare at me in disbelief and might follow up with comments of
Americans' stupidity if I mention you start your seasons around the
soltices and equinoxes.) Sorry, I forgot to mention that, coming from
Australia as I do, the seasons are switched.
--
Tristan <kesuari@...>
Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still
be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement.
-- Snoopy
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