10mo ago

English may be a hot mess but at least we don't have to worry about this nonsense

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358 comments

Just wait until you look into French numbers.
How different languages say 97:
🇬🇧: 90+7 (ok, there is some jank in English numbers - 13-19 are in line with the Germanic pronunciation, i.e. pronounced "right to left", as a weird hold-over from the more Germanic Old English)
🇪🇸: 90+7
🇩🇪: 7+90
🇫🇷: 4x20+10+7
And if you think that's bad, the Danes actually make the French look sane...
🇩🇰: 7+(-½+5)x20
Even Danes generally don't really know why their numbers are like that, they just remember and go along with it.
- You know everytime your mention French number, there is always belgian or Swiss who will tell you :
  🇧🇪🇨🇭: 90+7
  ☝️🤓
  
  please... french swiss....
- what the actual fuck is wrong with you, denmark?
  
  ...whats not?
  
  Cope hagen?
  
  Aebleskiver.
  
  apple slices..?
  
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86bleskiver
- While learning Danish I figured out that's just the arcane incantation for the number. It's language juju, and you just have to know that it be like it do. Yes, it's syv og halvfems, but the reason behind it doesn't matter anymore. The rest of the double digit numbers are a mess as well; 30 is tredive (three tens in old norse) but starting with 50 it's this weird score (20) and half-to-score system.
  
  When I first started learning my brain was desperately trying to make heads or tails of it and rationalize it somehow. And then I realized that was stupid, abandoned reason, and now I just utter these backwards ass numbers and we all nod and everyone is happy lol. Language is weird.
- https://youtu.be/s-mOy8VUEBk?si=1dudvGSjUd9VI11D
  🇩🇰🫡
  It’s not easy running an isenkramstornunung when nobody remembers what anything is called
  
  An absolute classic that I watch every single time. Kamelåså!
  
  I don’t know what he gave me, but it was wrong 🤷🏻‍♂️
  
  Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  https://piped.video/s-mOy8VUEBk?si=1dudvGSjUd9VI11D
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
- I can't stop giggling about the Danish way of saying that. Like, I don't even understand how that's 90? LMAO.
- That's not real. I refuse to believe that.
  
  It is, but we just say seven and half fives these days. Everybody knows the twenty are implied...
- I think Finnish would be
  🇫🇮: 9•10+7
  Nine-tens seven
  
  Where do you think nine-ty in English comes from?
  
  I think it comes from nine-tens. But if you check, that commenter didn't write it so.
  
  Same for Japanese
  🇯🇵: 9•10+7
  九(kyuu) 十(juu) 七(nana)
  Also, similar to English, 20 does not follow the pattern but instead has its own word. (Still written as 2•10 though)
- This guy doesn't like the French way.
  
  Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  This guy doesn't like the French way.
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
- Meanwhile in CJK languages we just chill and say 9 x 10 + 7. Why doesn't everyone do that?
  
  I guess "ninety" likely stems from "nine tens", so I guess English isn't far off

358 comments