Andreas said:
> Chrsitophe Grandsire:
> >Or because we don't have a single word for "ten thousands" (which seems
to
> >me
> >to be the definite explanation ;)) ). As for Asian cultures which do have
a
> >single word for "ten thousands" but still group figures in threes, that's
> >due
> >to the fact that they borrowed the Arabic figures from us without
adapting
> >them
> >to their use.
>
> Time for the next instalment of the aperiodic Conlang Conspiracy (tm).
We're
> all going to consistently use "myriad" for 10,000 till it becomes accepted
> usage!
Myriad is a great word, isn't it? it sounds like a name to me. Myriad and
Myrtle.
Somewhat on the subject of measurements and numbers, though, are there any
places in the world which don't use the Arabic numeral way of doing things?
As an American I have a hard time imagining life without zero and have spent
most of the morning in bed thinking about it, since I'm trying to figure out
how to write numbers in this brushy-calligraphy-kind-of-thing I've been
working on. How do systems that don't have zeros or use places (tens and
hundreds and stuff) write numbers?
-Kendra
http://refrigeratedcake.com
"We que sont adieu....uh...la toilette..." - Amy's
shining moment in French poetry writing