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Message |
Jim Lawton
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:24 am
Post subject: Half Six = 18:30 |
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I was just musing as I drove along tonight, about the English way of saying half
past the hour. When I lived in Finland I had great difficulty convincing people
that in England we say "half six" or "half ten" to mean half past the hour. In
Finland, as in Germany, similar usage always means half before the hour, so
"halb sieben" is 18:30.
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going on, and do
we know if any other language /does/?
--
Jim
the polymoth |
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:08 am
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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On Wed, 2 Nov 2005 21:48:05 -0500, "Judy"
<wumpygirleatsnospam@yahoo.com> wrote:
| Quote: |
"Jim Lawton" <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo> wrote in message
news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com...
I was just musing as I drove along tonight, about the English way of saying
half
past the hour. When I lived in Finland I had great difficulty convincing
people
that in England we say "half six" or "half ten" to mean half past the
hour. In
Finland, as in Germany, similar usage always means half before the hour,
so
"halb sieben" is 18:30.
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going on,
and do
we know if any other language /does/?
--
Jim
the polymoth
In Canada the vast, vast majority would refer to 18:30 as 6:30. Now and then
people will say "half past six" but I can't say that I've heard anyone apart
from recent immigrants from the UK say "half six" when it comes to the time.
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Saying "half six" is common practice in Ireland, as well.
--
Charles Riggs |
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:08 am
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 04:24:10 -0000, Ted Schuerzinger
<fedya@bestweb.spam> wrote:
| Quote: | Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo
wrote in news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com:
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
I've never heard the "half six" usage in AmE; it would be "half *past*
six".
|
One interpretation is as good as the other. Just because you, in your
small world, have not heard "half six" doesn't mean that millions of
other people don't use it daily.
| Quote: | Nor do we use the bizarre term "Monday week" to refer to some
indeterminate Monday in the future....
|
Just because you don't understand what it means, doesn't mean it isn't
useful to millions of people who have a better understanding of
English.
--
Charles Riggs |
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Ted Schuerzinger
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:09 am
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo>
wrote in news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com:
| Quote: | Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
|
I've never heard the "half six" usage in AmE; it would be "half *past*
six". Nor do we use the bizarre term "Monday week" to refer to some
indeterminate Monday in the future....
--
Ted <fedya at bestweb dot net>
Oh Marge, anyone can miss Canada, all tucked away down there....
--Homer Simpson |
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Judy
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:09 am
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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"Jim Lawton" <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo> wrote in message
news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com...
| Quote: | I was just musing as I drove along tonight, about the English way of saying
half
past the hour. When I lived in Finland I had great difficulty convincing
people
that in England we say "half six" or "half ten" to mean half past the
hour. In
Finland, as in Germany, similar usage always means half before the hour,
so
"halb sieben" is 18:30.
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going on,
and do
we know if any other language /does/?
--
Jim
the polymoth
|
In Canada the vast, vast majority would refer to 18:30 as 6:30. Now and then
people will say "half past six" but I can't say that I've heard anyone apart
from recent immigrants from the UK say "half six" when it comes to the time.
Judy |
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Maria Conlon
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:09 am
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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Jim Lawton wrote:
| Quote: | I was just musing as I drove along tonight, about the English way of
saying half past the hour. When I lived in Finland I had great
difficulty convincing people that in England we say "half six" or
"half ten" to mean half past the hour. In Finland, as in Germany,
similar usage always means half before the hour, so "halb sieben" is
18:30.
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
|
The US is an English-speaking nation, and "half [any hour]" is not used
here. Had I not already heard of this way of expressing time, I would
probably think of "half six" as three -- not as the time of 6:30. I
don't think Spanish uses this phrasing either, but Jerry, Ross, and Joe
(and others) will know for sure. (I've forgotten most of the Spanish I
learned long ago.)
--
Maria Conlon |
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Skitt
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:09 am
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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Maria Conlon wrote:
| Quote: | Jim Lawton wrote:
I was just musing as I drove along tonight, about the English way of
saying half past the hour. When I lived in Finland I had great
difficulty convincing people that in England we say "half six" or
"half ten" to mean half past the hour. In Finland, as in Germany,
similar usage always means half before the hour, so "halb sieben" is
18:30.
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
The US is an English-speaking nation, and "half [any hour]" is not
used here. Had I not already heard of this way of expressing time, I
would probably think of "half six" as three -- not as the time of
6:30. I don't think Spanish uses this phrasing either, but Jerry,
Ross, and Joe (and others) will know for sure. (I've forgotten most
of the Spanish I learned long ago.)
|
I know that this was discussed here before. To me, "half six" means 5:30,
but I learned that in non-English-speaking countries.
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/ |
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Jim Lawton
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:16 pm
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 04:24:10 -0000, Ted Schuerzinger <fedya@bestweb.spam> wrote:
| Quote: | Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo
wrote in news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com:
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
I've never heard the "half six" usage in AmE; it would be "half *past*
six". Nor do we use the bizarre term "Monday week" to refer to some
indeterminate Monday in the future....
|
Now I would say that's not what it means. "Monday week" means "The Monday after
next Monday" to me. An exact alternative is "a week on Monday".
--
Jim
the polymoth |
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Troy Steadman
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:30 pm
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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Jim Lawton wrote:
| Quote: | On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 04:24:10 -0000, Ted Schuerzinger <fedya@bestweb.spam> wrote:
Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo
wrote in news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com:
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
I've never heard the "half six" usage in AmE; it would be "half *past*
six". Nor do we use the bizarre term "Monday week" to refer to some
indeterminate Monday in the future....
Now I would say that's not what it means. "Monday week" means "The Monday after
next Monday" to me. An exact alternative is "a week on Monday".
|
Also: "a week Monday". |
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Ross Howard
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:57 pm
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 02:05:19 GMT, "Maria Conlon"
<maria.c-b@sbcglobal.net> wrought:
| Quote: | Jim Lawton wrote:
I was just musing as I drove along tonight, about the English way of
saying half past the hour. When I lived in Finland I had great
difficulty convincing people that in England we say "half six" or
"half ten" to mean half past the hour. In Finland, as in Germany,
similar usage always means half before the hour, so "halb sieben" is
18:30.
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
The US is an English-speaking nation, and "half [any hour]" is not used
here. Had I not already heard of this way of expressing time, I would
probably think of "half six" as three -- not as the time of 6:30. I
don't think Spanish uses this phrasing either, but Jerry, Ross, and Joe
(and others) will know for sure. (I've forgotten most of the Spanish I
learned long ago.)
|
The idea of halved hours is there, although the phrasing is different
and so less ambiguous than "half six": six thirty/half (past) six is
*seis y media*, lit. "six and half". All the minutes "past" are
expressed with *y* (e.g. twenty past four = *cuatro y veinte*; quarter
past eleven = *once y cuarto*), so nobody would think the *media* bit
meant "half an hour until" and not "half an hour past".
--
Ross Howard |
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Jim Lawton
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 3:51 pm
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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On 2 Nov 2005 23:30:12 -0800, "Troy Steadman" <troysteadman@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
| Quote: | Jim Lawton wrote:
On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 04:24:10 -0000, Ted Schuerzinger <fedya@bestweb.spam> wrote:
Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo
wrote in news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com:
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
I've never heard the "half six" usage in AmE; it would be "half *past*
six". Nor do we use the bizarre term "Monday week" to refer to some
indeterminate Monday in the future....
Now I would say that's not what it means. "Monday week" means "The Monday after
next Monday" to me. An exact alternative is "a week on Monday".
Also: "a week Monday".
|
That I would understand, but omitting the "on" makes it an Americanism to my
ear.
--
Jim
the polymoth |
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Judy
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 6:44 pm
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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"Charles Riggs" <chriggs@éircom.net> wrote in message
news:9f6jm1p7pkr92hr16k87akku907nl1prlr@4ax.com...
| Quote: | On Wed, 2 Nov 2005 21:48:05 -0500, "Judy"
wumpygirleatsnospam@yahoo.com> wrote:
"Jim Lawton" <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo> wrote in message
news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com...
I was just musing as I drove along tonight, about the English way of
saying
half
past the hour. When I lived in Finland I had great difficulty convincing
people
that in England we say "half six" or "half ten" to mean half past the
hour. In
Finland, as in Germany, similar usage always means half before the hour,
so
"halb sieben" is 18:30.
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going on,
and do
we know if any other language /does/?
--
Jim
the polymoth
In Canada the vast, vast majority would refer to 18:30 as 6:30. Now and
then
people will say "half past six" but I can't say that I've heard anyone
apart
from recent immigrants from the UK say "half six" when it comes to the
time.
Saying "half six" is common practice in Ireland, as well.
--
Charles Riggs
|
Thanks for the info! |
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Peter Duncanson
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 7:50 pm
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 07:16:46 GMT, Jim Lawton
<usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo> wrote:
| Quote: | On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 04:24:10 -0000, Ted Schuerzinger <fedya@bestweb.spam> wrote:
Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo
wrote in news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com:
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
I've never heard the "half six" usage in AmE; it would be "half *past*
six". Nor do we use the bizarre term "Monday week" to refer to some
indeterminate Monday in the future....
Now I would say that's not what it means. "Monday week" means "The Monday after
next Monday" to me. An exact alternative is "a week on Monday".
|
Is "next Monday" unambiguous, particularly on a Sunday?
--
Peter Duncanson
UK (posting from a.u.e) |
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Rick Wotnaz
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:52 pm
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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Peter Duncanson <mail@peterduncanson.net> wrote in
news:dr1km1h0cjeg34li5q1gvmue9hk4l7gsqm@4ax.com:
| Quote: | On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 07:16:46 GMT, Jim Lawton
usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo> wrote:
On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 04:24:10 -0000, Ted Schuerzinger
fedya@bestweb.spam> wrote:
[...]
I've never heard the "half six" usage in AmE; it would be "half
*past* six". Nor do we use the bizarre term "Monday week" to
refer to some indeterminate Monday in the future....
Now I would say that's not what it means. "Monday week" means
"The Monday after next Monday" to me. An exact alternative is "a
week on Monday".
Is "next Monday" unambiguous, particularly on a Sunday?
|
It is in much of America. If, on Sunday, you want to refer to the
next day, you might say "tomorrow" or you might say "Monday",
neither of which should be ambiguous. So the next question is how
do you refer to a week from tomorrow? Why it's "next" Monday --
except that for many people, "next weekend" and "next Monday" will
be adjacent (this makes a twisted kind of sense). To resolve the
ambiguity, constructions like "Monday week" need invented [1].
I've always been one for whom "next" meant "the nearest following
occurrence", but others in my speech community understand it
differently, so unless I want to encourage confusion (which I
sometimes do), I try to specify by actual date. Sometimes that
works.
[1] Okay, I wouldn't ordinarily say it like that. I was just
playing.
--
rzed |
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Troy Steadman
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 8:53 pm
Post subject: Re: Half Six = 18:30 |
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Jim Lawton wrote:
| Quote: | On 2 Nov 2005 23:30:12 -0800, "Troy Steadman" <troysteadman@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Jim Lawton wrote:
On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 04:24:10 -0000, Ted Schuerzinger <fedya@bestweb.spam> wrote:
Somebody claiming to be Jim Lawton <usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo
wrote in news:30mim1t6hg2v3i1qi6n53t9poi1hafsr16@4ax.com:
Does any English speaking nation not adhere to the BrE way of going
on, and do we know if any other language /does/?
I've never heard the "half six" usage in AmE; it would be "half *past*
six". Nor do we use the bizarre term "Monday week" to refer to some
indeterminate Monday in the future....
Now I would say that's not what it means. "Monday week" means "The Monday after
next Monday" to me. An exact alternative is "a week on Monday".
Also: "a week Monday".
That I would understand, but omitting the "on" makes it an Americanism to my
ear.
|
It's the "on" version that sounds odd to my Surbiton ear. Round here
when they say A4 envelope they don't mean C4 envelope (or whatever
Harvey said), nor do they mean the envelope that is approximately A4
size. They mean the "standard" envelope into which an A4 sheet fits
when folded in three.
BTW if it opens at the end (non-standard) the opening goes on the right
as you look at it. My North London father always taught me that
displays ignorance. |
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