Oct 30
Is it two thousand and seven or twenty seven?
Cats: Canada, odd things|It’s time we chucked the chunky two thousand and seven syntax for the year 2007 and adopted twenty-o-seven.
That was the syntax in the last century. It wasn’t one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine. It was nineteen ninety nine. And in the first decade, it was nineteen-0-seven or nineteen seven.
In the year 2000 we called it two thousand. I can see that. It was such a novelty back then, and of course we had the spectre of the Y2K computer problem, Y2K being Year Two Thousand.
I’d think its time we stopped wasting all those syllables and shortened it up to twenty-0-seven, or better yet, twenty seven. We all know what it means and it sounds better to my ear.
Does anyone know the Canadian Press broadcast rule, or the CBC’s?
October 30th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
It seems to be up to the broadcaster here in the U.S. CBS Sunday Morning’s Charles Osgood insists on “twenty-oh-seven,” for the same reasons you stated above. I say “two thousand seven.” I hate it when someone adds “and.”
October 30th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
I have noticed that people will say two thousand seven, two thousand eight, two thousand nine then switch to twenty ten, twenty eleven, etc. Be patient GT. In 2 years you will have it your way.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Yes, like Beth says on that CBS Sunday Morning is the only place I’ve heard anyone say 20 0 7. Sometimes I just say 0 7. Like James Bond without the first 0.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Hm, H&P, I’ve noticed the same. You’re probably right. but not me. I’m a 20 7 girl all the way.
Her name is Espanya, 07, Espanya.
Beth, I don’t watch Charles O, I’m one of his bitches….
November 1st, 2007 at 8:34 am
When you say twenty o seven, what does the “o” stand for?
Technically you are advocating saying ‘twenty zero seven’ which doesn’t really roll off the tongue. I say “o seven” right now, but am considering ‘naught seven’ over ‘cipher seven’, because of the syllable thing.
November 2nd, 2007 at 8:26 pm
I can get on board with this. Mostly because I’m still confused as to what to call this decade. The O’s? That sounds weird. The first decade of the new millennium? That’s too complicated.
Oh, but wait…calling it 20-0-7 doesn’t help with that problem at all. Damn time. Always moving along and complicating my life.
November 3rd, 2007 at 2:40 am
Welcome BeckEye.
I call them the naughties, as in, naught is another word for 0.
Sadly, it the first decade is almost over…