Dear France (and other French-speaking countries),
I have just been informed that your people are unable to use single words/word pairs for the numbers 70-99. Now, I think we can all agree that that is just plain stupid. I mean, you guys have math, right? And numbers? I know this isn't a Latin-roots thing, because my Spanish-speaking ass is here to tell you that I can count to 100 (and beyond!) using such handy words as ochenta, and, at worst, setenta y nueve. I ask you, French-speaking nations...what the hell? I love you to death, and am in a constant state of joy that I am visiting your lovely capital in one week, but seriously, get on the ball with the counting-- I am freaked enough about the language as it is.
Love,
Megan
P.S. Yeah, I know "nombres" is Spanish for "names," but seriously, just shut up about it.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Tea. Cake. And then some...
What I do when I should be doing work
What's in Ye Olde Google Reader
- A[tipp]ical Thoughts
- Chelsea Talks Smack
- Dan Mega
- Definitely RA
- Dooce
- Exit, Pursued by Bear
- Free and Flawed
- Gretch-a-Sketch
- I hate so much...
- Juliezilla
- Le Petit Hiboux
- Love is Blonde
- Magnolias Marriage and Manhattan
- Michelle and the City
- Mighty Girl
- Mmmagic!
- Moments of a Blonde
- More is Better
- Oh! How Lovely!
- Operation Pink Herring
- Skrinkering Hearts
- Stephanie Klein
- Stylish Handwriting
- The Gospel According to Gates
- These Little Moments
- We Are Not Martha
- Wishcake
Representing...
It's true, you know...
Say that you love me...
8 comments:
You know, I'd never thought about that until JUST NOW. It is a little strange, huh?
I wonder how many other languages are like that. And I wonder if you could get by without using those numbers. That might be hard with the shopping you're going to do, though. Hmm.
It depends on where you go. I think 80 in Belgium is still quatre-vingts but 90 is nonante instead of quatre-vingt-dix.
Although when I was really bored waiting for a friend in the train station I asked some ticket clerk and he had no idea what I was talking about when I asked him, in French, what the Belgian word for "quatre-vingt-dix" was.
I was a French major and I NEVER got over that. Stupidest numbering system ever!
But srah is right, Belgium and Canadian French have less stupid options.
I think you would just be used to it, how we think of "double U" as one unit, but if you were coming from some other language background you might think, "Why don't they just give the letter its OWN name?"
Ok, so I will agree that it isn't completely nonsensical (I mean, eighty IS four twenties), and that there are just as many strange English conventions. I am wondering why, though, there would never be a need to have a shorthand way of saying numbers, which are uttered much more than names of letters...right? I'm sure that there is a cool, historical etymology, but I am just so intimidated by French right now, on the eve-eve of my trip. Also, I need to get to Belgium and Quebec-- clearly they know what's up.
Wow, I had no idea! Then again, I took Spanish :)
Si. Muchos hombres.
English grammar sucks in general.
Post a Comment