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From: rmk4@woodlawn.uchicago.edu (Robert Knippen)
Subject: Re: Danish Numbers (was: Linguistics for Kids)
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References: <241561598.33328314@inform-bbs.dk> <D5ItLv.Gu@midway.uchicago.edu> <cto.795340326@olicom> <PALKOVIC.95Mar16114614@x4u2.desy.de>
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 16:27:41 GMT
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In article <PALKOVIC.95Mar16114614@x4u2.desy.de>,
John Palkovic <palkovic@desy.de> wrote:
>>>>>> "Claus" == Claus Toendering <cto@olicom.olicom.dk> writes:
>
>Claus> "Half-third" means "halfway towards the third number". In other
>Claus> words, you've just visited "two" and are on your way to
>Claus> "three", [...] Russian has a similar wording when specifying
>Claus> time. In Russian the word "half-third" means 2:30.
>

Note that in the German cases the formula is: 
<<"fraction"-"name of number">>.  
Now, I wouldn't want to claim this is transparent, but the
logic is certainly closer to the surface than in the Danish and
Russion case, where the number is actually in another form.  You might
gloss the Russian example as "half towards the 3rd hour," while you
have to do something like "half towrds the 3rd number" for the Danish
fraction.

Of course, there _used to be_ a "logical" explanation in the case of
Danish numbers for 50, 70, and 90.  My point is just that now it's
almost completely hidden.  The information that's left in the forms is
merely misleading, and the rationalizations no longer work, except as
conversation-starters.

Bob Knippen
r-knippen@uchicago.edu


