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Re: The English/French counting system (WAS: number systems fromconlangs)

From:Roger Mills <romilly@...>
Date:Tuesday, September 16, 2003, 15:58
Tristan McLeay wrote:


> Is this (saying 'a hundred five-and-twenty') where the 'and' came from in > 'a hundred and twenty-five'? Did they say 'a hundred and twenty' or 'a > hundred twenty'.* > > *I'm aware some (primarily American I believe) dialects skip the 'and' in > all cases at least nowadays. >
I've never carried out a survey, but would bet that the majority of us say "a/two/etc hundred and....." Curiously, back in my primary schooldays (in the 40s), that was considered BAD; we were supposed to say "a hundred twenty....etc." So much for the power of schoolmarms. Archaic, in my view, is the use of "and" when saying years-- e.g. "back in eighteen and ninety-eight". Another, though still heard-- sticking "of" into "the U S of A" rather than "the U S A".