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Re: French liaisons (was something else)

From:Tristan McLeay <zsau@...>
Date:Sunday, February 8, 2004, 4:40
On Sat, 7 Feb 2004, Costentin Cornomorus wrote:

> --- Tristan McLeay <zsau@...> wrote: > > > > For the record, 'two dollars fifty' is > > perfectly fine in Australia. In > > fact, to my ear, 'two dollars and fifty cents' > > sounds hypercorrect and > > certainly not something I'd expect to hear. > > "Two and a half dollars" is also quite OK in > Merkin; though I am sure there can be some > regional variation on the theme. And "a quarter > eagle", amongst a certain set, is also 100% > understandable.
The only fractions we use of dollars is cents (our coins come in 5, 10, 20 and the octagonal 50 cents (collectively silver) and $1 and $2 (collectively gold)).
> Technically, "two dollars and five dimes" would > also be correct, but unheardof. Mind you, I have > written cheques in terms of dimes rather than > cents on the odd occasion.
Incidentally, I personally think we should get rid of 5c coins. They're good for nothing apart from a way of giving change when things are priced $x.95 et sim. After we've done that, we should drop the trailing 0 from the ends of numbers and instead of using cents use dimes. But you should hear the response whenever I suggest the word 'dime'! There is an _amazing_ anti-American centiment [hehehe] there amongst even the most pro-American people! I have thus come to say '... or, if "dime" is too American, we could just as well use "tenths" or "tithes"'. ---------------------------- Adam Walker:
> LOL and to an American "two dollars fifty" sounds like someone putting > on airs and/or trying to sound like a Brit!
That surprises me no end (why, for instance, a Brit?). It probably doesn't help that we say /dOl@z/ either, does it? :) -- Tristan

Replies

Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
Adam Walker <carrajena@...>
Costentin Cornomorus <elemtilas@...>