CONLANG Digest - 2 Jan 2000 to 3 Jan 2000 (#2000-4)

> From:    Melissa Phong <melissap@...>
> Subject: Fwd: Re: CHAT: Happy New Year! Parinaye!
>
> >I don't think it would be unreasonable to imagine that this decade could
> >revive the word "ought" for zero.
>
> I've noticed people keep writing ought, but isn't it *aught*?
>
> Ought for the auxiliary, aught for the number.
Er.  Right.. my dictionary lists 'ought' as a variant of 'aught'.  [being
'an aught', from 'a naught'.]

I'd rather use 'naught', considering 'aught' means 'something' or
anything'... but then I'm probably strange that way, having been known to
use both words...

> From:    Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
> Subject: Re: Yawn....err...Happy...uh...Millennium....or something...?
>
> bjm10@CORNELL.EDU wrote:
> > Point out the officially recognized year zero, if you can.
>
> In *any* Western (and most other civilizations) chronology.  When does a
> month begin?  Day 1, not Day 0, what's January when giving dates in
> short form?  Month 1, not 0 (the first day of the year is 1/1, not
> 0/0).  And in 12-hour time, there's no 0 hour, it starts with 1.  Of
> course, 24-hour time starts with 0.
>
> Also, the Mayans used 0 in their calendar.
Know why?
The Mayans had zero.   When our calendar was invented, we didn't.
Saw an article:
http://www.theatlantic.com//issues/97jul/zero.htm

> From:    Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: CHAT: Happy New Year! Parinaye!
>
> But for 2001, I've always heard "two thousand one"
"Me too".. though I've once heard 'Y2L' offered.

> From:    Steg Belsky <draqonfayir@...>
> Subject: Re: Yawn....err...Happy...uh...Millennium....or something...?
>
> Seeing's as how my sleeping right through it makes clear, it wasn't a
> very big deal for me, i don't get into the whole 2000 vs. 2001 fight.
> But, as in everything (well, almost everything) linguistic:
>
> common usage.  :-P  ;-)
I get the idea that 'millennium' will soon become 'common usage' for 2001.
(Such as I've heard people making plans for 'the real millennium'
already...)

    *Muke!