WtfEvenIsExistence1️@lemmy.cacake to Memes@lemmy.mlEnglish · 1 year agoEnglish Language Problemslemmy.caimagemessage-square256fedilinkarrow-up11.04Karrow-down144
arrow-up1993arrow-down1imageEnglish Language Problemslemmy.caWtfEvenIsExistence1️@lemmy.cacake to Memes@lemmy.mlEnglish · 1 year agomessage-square256fedilink
minus-squarejarfil@beehaw.orglinkfedilinkarrow-up2·edit-21 year agoMay or may not have some relation, but next to France/part of, lies the Basque country, where all numbers under 100 are base 20+10, except 11 and 19… 57: 2×20+10+7 (berr-ogei-ta-hama-zazpi) 79: 3×20+19 (hiru-r-ogei-ta-hemeretzi) French (in Belgium, Switzerland, and former colonies) also allows simple base 10: 70: 70 (septante) 91: 90+1 (nonante-et-un) …so the geographic location seems to have an impact. And just next to it, in Spain, everything is base 10… except 11 to 15 change the order from n×10+m, into 1+10 to 5+10. Italian does the same, except it’s 11 to 16… just like in French. English has a hiccup with eleven and twelve, then goes to n-teen, before going base 10 with n×10+m above 20. German does the same, except it goes to m+n×10 above 20. Overall, 20 seems to be a magic number, France just seems to have mixed in different ways of using it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigesimal
May or may not have some relation, but next to France/part of, lies the Basque country, where all numbers under 100 are base 20+10, except 11 and 19…
57: 2×20+10+7 (berr-ogei-ta-hama-zazpi)
79: 3×20+19 (hiru-r-ogei-ta-hemeretzi)
French (in Belgium, Switzerland, and former colonies) also allows simple base 10:
70: 70 (septante)
91: 90+1 (nonante-et-un)
…so the geographic location seems to have an impact.
And just next to it, in Spain, everything is base 10… except 11 to 15 change the order from n×10+m, into 1+10 to 5+10.
Italian does the same, except it’s 11 to 16… just like in French.
English has a hiccup with eleven and twelve, then goes to n-teen, before going base 10 with n×10+m above 20.
German does the same, except it goes to m+n×10 above 20.
Overall, 20 seems to be a magic number, France just seems to have mixed in different ways of using it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigesimal