[Tig] End Credits at the cinema - topic drift

[Rob Lingelbach]

On Mar 8, 2007, at 4:33 PM, Craig Fearing wrote:
>
> I do realize that these observations have no real bearing on the  
> format that
> is/should be preferred in English (or "American"), but I would find it
> interesting to know how the other languages/cultures represented on  
> this
> list, such as German, Spanish, Portugese, and also our Asian  
> colleagues
> express dates.

in Brasilian portuguese:

1900  = mil novecentos
1904  = mil novecentos e quatro
1983  = mil novecentos e oitenta e tres  (or, just "oitenta e tres")
2000  = dois mil
2007  = dois mil e sete

My source here in Brazil says something very sensible; in the first  
decade or
two of the new century, there is no 'familiar' or 'shortcut' word for  
the decade
because we are still familiarizing ourself with the new century.   
After we pass
through the 'teens (which I don't have a portuguese word for- does  
anyone?)
then the decades are shorted *because* we are now familar enough with  
the new
decade to use shortened forms.

> time.  Dropping the leading zero, though, does seem a bit much, so  
> that a
> statement such as "yes, that came out back in five." seems a bit  
> peculiar.
>
> As for Bob's question that came in while I was typing this, I think  
> we're in
> "the zeros".

My father, who was born in 1907 and is deceased, called his year of  
birth
"ought seven."  I called it "oh seven" and it was often referred to as
'07 in print.  I would submit that eventually this decade's years  
will be
noted in the same way, though who knows, the way english is continually
massacred :].   Craig, is there still a branch of the French  
government that
advises and publishes what is "official french" ?   I used to think  
this quite
funny, but as I get older sometimes think there should be such a  
board for the
US and England (separate ones).  When I hear dissonant  
neologisms ...like
'functionality' ... but i'm way on the losing side in this battle.

Rob

--
Rob Lingelbach
http://www.colorist.org/robhome.html
rob at colorist.org  rob at lingelbach.us