Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!news.mathworks.com!uunet!in1.uu.net!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!dragon.acadiau.ca!dragon.acadiau.ca!alan
From: alan@dragon.acadiau.ca (Alan McKay)
Subject: Re: Danish Numbers (was: Linguistics for Kids)
Message-ID: <1995Mar31.165219.19015@relay.acadiau.ca>
Sender: news@relay.acadiau.ca
Nntp-Posting-Host: dragon.acadiau.ca
Organization: Acadia University
References: <241561598.33328314@inform-bbs.dk> <D5ItLv.Gu@midway.uchicago.edu> <1995Mar22.031215.29515@Princeton.EDU>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 16:52:19 GMT
Lines: 19

mikulska@comet.Princeton.EDU (Margaret Mikulska) writes:

>>When somebody
>>explains how half-third (or fourth or fifth) can come to mean 2.5 (or 3.5
>>or 4.5, respectively), then I'll believe there is some logic to the system.

>This "half-third", as you translate it, can be probably interpreted as 
>"a half is missing (from) three; half taken off three", and that's 2.5. 
>(German still uses "halb" in a similar way for time, as in "halb fuenf" 
>= 4:30.)

Yes, I agree.  Just like the Germans (and I've even heard some Americans
use it) say "half-five" for 4:30, so do the Danish say "half-three"
for 2.5.

That isn't complicated at all.

-- 
			Sage.  The forgotten spice.
