People make fun of French numbers, and it's not undeserved. But have you heard of Danish numbers‽
79, "nioghalvfjerds" translates to English as "nine and half fourth". "Halvfjerds" being implicitly short for "halvfjerdsindstyve", which translates as "half fourth times twenty", where "half fourth" implicitly means "three plus half the fourth" (i.e., 3.5).
That is so much more insane than 83 being "four twenties three".
and i thaught we germans were stupid with our numbers because we say stuff like "zwei und dreißig"/"two and thirty" instead of "dreißig und zwei" or "dreißig-zwei".
i wonder how stuff like this came to be, it must have been good for something to have stuck around.
It's the same in Arabic!
"مئة واثنان وثلاثون" = "hundred and two and thirty"
Not sure about German, but the Arabic example can theoretically come with in any order. However, you almost never see it another way
There's this nursery rhyme about "four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" that I can't remember the rest of. Except that the previous or next verse ended with "rye".
Thirteen, fourteen, ... to nineteen still have the reverse order, same as in Dutch and German. It's probably the blend of Norman French + Anglo Saxon that lead to english having a different counting style after 20. Ordinary people and remote dialects will have continued using the old style for centuries longer. I recall reading it in a book by Charles Dickens and wondering about it. I suspect that with those numbers, Dickens was hinting at the roots of the person talking: not from London + raised by ordinary people.
if it's any consolation, native danish speakers don't think about it like this, you just kinda memorize what each multiple of 10 is called. although the etymology does appear a little when using ordinals, e.g. 72nd in danish is tooghalvfjerdsindstyvende (two and half four twenties), but i think most young people would just say tooghalvfjerdsende (72 + ordinal suffix)
Plus we have that whole thing where the only way to know if any definitive noun uses the "en" or "et" suffix (or the same as a separate word in front of the noun if it's indefinite) is to know already 🤦😄
Sure, but in most cases, there's something loosely related to rules and logic about it.
In Danish, the grammatical genders aren't 'male, female, nongender". There's nongender and multigender, and ABSOLUTELY no reason for anything being one or the other 🤷🏻
Ah yes this table is such a masculine table, such a good example of how all tables manifest masculinity, by um, having uh, legs and um.
Describing any noun gendering in any language reads like a "we have been played for absolute fools" meme.
If it makes you feel better, grammatical genders in Norwegian are arbitrary too. There are no rules or tricks to help you figure out if a noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. :S
Remember school where I learned to write number in full text. It's so long.
Soixante dix-neuf I 79
Quatre-vingt I 80
Quatre-vingts un I 81
..
Quatre-vingts treize I 93
...
Cent soixante-dix neuf I 179
It's plain math
In French part Belgium and Switzerland, they use something that make more sense like
Septante | 70
Septante Un | 71
Octante I 80
Nonante I 90
42 Comments
Zagorath@aussie.zone · 124 pts · 285d
People make fun of French numbers, and it's not undeserved. But have you heard of Danish numbers‽
79, "nioghalvfjerds" translates to English as "nine and half fourth". "Halvfjerds" being implicitly short for "halvfjerdsindstyve", which translates as "half fourth times twenty", where "half fourth" implicitly means "three plus half the fourth" (i.e., 3.5).
That is so much more insane than 83 being "four twenties three".
Dunstabzugshaubitze@feddit.org · 30 pts · 285d
and i thaught we germans were stupid with our numbers because we say stuff like "zwei und dreißig"/"two and thirty" instead of "dreißig und zwei" or "dreißig-zwei".
i wonder how stuff like this came to be, it must have been good for something to have stuck around.
RustySharp@programming.dev · 20 pts · 285d
Oh, you guys use little endian!
Dunstabzugshaubitze@feddit.org · 30 pts · 285d
nope, because 132 is "einhundert zwei und dreißig" and not "zwei und dreißig und hundert" that it's inconsistent is what bothers me.
hdzki@lemmy.ml · 11 pts · 285d
It's the same in Arabic! "مئة واثنان وثلاثون" = "hundred and two and thirty" Not sure about German, but the Arabic example can theoretically come with in any order. However, you almost never see it another way
bdonvr@thelemmy.club · 9 pts · 285d
Spanish with the sanity again!
Ciento treinta y dos (Literally: Hundred thirty and two)
Zagorath@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 285d
Except no, because one hundred and twenty three is ein hundert drei und zwanzig (spaces added in for ease of comprehension for non-German speakers).
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 285d
Compared to some of the ways numbers are put together in languages, German is positively simple and understandable.
RejZoR@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 285d
Slovenia also uses reversed reading of numbers. 32 is zwei und dreissig in German and we have dvaintrideset (twoandthirty).
yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de · 4 pts · 285d
Pretty sure it's some very old way of counting.
English used to do it the same way after all.
There's this nursery rhyme about "four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" that I can't remember the rest of. Except that the previous or next verse ended with "rye".
RunawayFixer@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 284d
Thirteen, fourteen, ... to nineteen still have the reverse order, same as in Dutch and German. It's probably the blend of Norman French + Anglo Saxon that lead to english having a different counting style after 20. Ordinary people and remote dialects will have continued using the old style for centuries longer. I recall reading it in a book by Charles Dickens and wondering about it. I suspect that with those numbers, Dickens was hinting at the roots of the person talking: not from London + raised by ordinary people.
bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de · 1 pts · 278d
I think that's because of Martin Luther. When he translated the bible he basically standardised the German language. So blame him.
Here's a short documentary on it. https://youtu.be/L5YZSZTO2tk
frank@sopuli.xyz · 15 pts · 285d
As someone learning danish now, yup this is hell and the worst numbering system. And no, other Scandinavian countries don't do this shit.
themagzuz@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 284d
if it's any consolation, native danish speakers don't think about it like this, you just kinda memorize what each multiple of 10 is called. although the etymology does appear a little when using ordinals, e.g. 72nd in danish is tooghalvfjerdsindstyvende (two and half four twenties), but i think most young people would just say tooghalvfjerdsende (72 + ordinal suffix)
frank@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 284d
Yeah, I actually don't mind the 10s as much. It's not that many to remember. But it's quite fun to complain about :D
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 12 pts · 285d
Plus we have that whole thing where the only way to know if any definitive noun uses the "en" or "et" suffix (or the same as a separate word in front of the noun if it's indefinite) is to know already 🤦😄
Arkthos@pawb.social · 14 pts · 285d
Grammatical gender.
Rothe@piefed.social · 7 pts · 285d
Which is a thing in many languages. And many languages have more than just the two in Danish.
Dumhuvud@programming.dev · 8 pts · 285d
Grammatical gender is a thing in a shitload of languages.
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 285d
Sure, but in most cases, there's something loosely related to rules and logic about it.
In Danish, the grammatical genders aren't 'male, female, nongender". There's nongender and multigender, and ABSOLUTELY no reason for anything being one or the other 🤷🏻
caseyweederman@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 285d
Ah yes this table is such a masculine table, such a good example of how all tables manifest masculinity, by um, having uh, legs and um.
Describing any noun gendering in any language reads like a "we have been played for absolute fools" meme.
Dumhuvud@programming.dev · 3 pts · 285d
If it makes you feel better, grammatical genders in Norwegian are arbitrary too. There are no rules or tricks to help you figure out if a noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. :S
Zagorath@aussie.zone · 6 pts · 285d
Relevant username
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 285d
Yup, am a Danish Dane of Denmark born and bred 😁
Obi@sopuli.xyz · 11 pts · 285d
I'm a simple man, someone mentions the delicacies of the Danish language, I post this video.
farting_gorilla@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 284d
I immediately knew what video you posted and said "Kamelooso" in my head
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 285d
Stephen Miller walks into Donald Trump's office, "sir, bad news, we heard three Brazilian people were shot by ICE accidently".
"oh no..how many is a brazilian?"
ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com · 4 pts · 285d
Thank you Mason for finally telling us what the numbers mean
Zagorath@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 285d
Mason?
ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com · 4 pts · 285d
https://youtu.be/HcqCOVFn9bw
Old black ops 1 meme 😁
pseudo@jlai.lu · 4 pts · 285d
It is too late for me to understand that text but I'll come back at it after I've slept.
DaddleDew@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 285d
4 20
Passerby6497@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 285d
"French 80" seems like a fun way to signal you like marijuana that didn't cross my mind before.
rayf@lemmy.zip · 19 pts · 285d
20 20 20 20
JcbAzPx@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 285d
So, four score.
germanatlas@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 285d
79 is pretty funny in French
Schmuppes@lemmy.today · 13 pts · 285d
Sixty-ten-nine?
SpaceScotsman@startrek.website · 20 pts · 285d
soi-sante deez nuts
germanatlas@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 15 pts · 285d
Yes but it’s about the pronunciation
rayf@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 284d
Remember school where I learned to write number in full text. It's so long. Soixante dix-neuf I 79 Quatre-vingt I 80 Quatre-vingts un I 81 .. Quatre-vingts treize I 93 ... Cent soixante-dix neuf I 179
It's plain math
In French part Belgium and Switzerland, they use something that make more sense like Septante | 70 Septante Un | 71 Octante I 80 Nonante I 90
mauubunzie_Kittyroll69420@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 7 pts · 285d
catra-winged-dick-smurf core
peoplebeproblems@midwest.social · 5 pts · 285d
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I get this one
Counting in French ssuuuuuucks