Is there an agreed upon term to speak 00 when referring to this year? There seemed to be some hoopla in 99 regarding what would become accepted in speech but I only see avoidance of it.

Dear Michaelo,
How do you "speak 00"?
a. "Oh, Oh"
b. "Zero Zero"
c. "Nil Nil"
d. "Null Null"
e. "Zero-Oh"...

I haven't heard or said any of those. I've heard: this year, two thousand, and (incorrectly) the millennium.
Y2K seems to have been abandoned as (incorrectly) "that computer problem."

"These are the data from spring zero zero and those are the data from ninety-nine" just doesn't sound right.

"These are the data from spring zero zero and those are the data from ninety-nine" just doesn't sound right.

Maybe it doesn't sound right cos surely noone treats "data" as a plural any more.....not in the year '00.......

I am interested in rising conventions about how we refer to the current year. I like the reduced number of syllables in "March thirteenth, two thousand" as opposed to "March thirteenth, nineteen nintey-nine."

I still have trouble (and have for about two years) easily giving the expiration date of my credit card over the telephone. For an expiration date of 06/02, do I say "Oh six, Oh two" or "six, Oh two" or scrap everything and say "June, two thousand two"?

just for the record, "oh" is a letter and "zero" is a number...

>>just for the record, "oh" is a letter and "zero" is a number...

Yep. Strange how one extra syllable will tear me away from my principles. "Oh" is just easier to say than "zero." What suggestions do you have for my monosyllabic number "seven?"

>What suggestions do you have for my monosyllabic number
"seven?"

it was abbreviated as "sen" in sennight (the period of seven nights and days, cf fortnight); so there is precedent for using that....

>>Maybe it doesn't sound right cos surely noone treats "data" as a plural any more.....not in the year '00.......

*raising hand* _We_ do!

I now think that two thousand one, two, etc. is not really an encumbrance afterall but for the sake of construction consistency I would have to say nineteen ninety nine which is a little weighty. You'd think I didn't have more to worry about like global destruction, but how will we refer to this decade in the future? I've already rejected the zero-zeros. Maybe just the zeros?

In reply to:

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just for the record, "oh" is a letter and "zero" is a number...

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Is this another transatlantic difference? When reading out a number digit by digit,I would definitely say oh rather than zero.

Bingley

< how will we refer to this decade in the future>

I notice that some people have already dubbed it "the naughties"!

>I notice that some people have already dubbed it "the naughties"!<

Oh, I like that! but watch out, we still have most of it before us. It could become a self-fulfilling prophecy..

how will we refer to this decade in the future

The first decade of the 20th century was referred to as the "aughts", but I'd have to say that this sounds a little awkward and somewhat antiquated now. I think "the ohs" flows best, but we could just as soon call the decade "the goose eggs".

Is this another transatlantic difference? When reading out a number digit by digit,I would definitely say oh rather than zero.

Bingley, as one expat Brit to another, I agree! Yet I have to admit that distinguishing 0s and Os is more and more important as we have more and more alphanumeric passwords and codes. So I think the American way does in fact make sense.

distinguishing 0s and Os is more and more important as we have more and more alphanumeric passwords and codes

Because of this fact, I don't think companies ever use the letter "O" in serial numbers. I've been working with computers all summer and have yet to see one with that letter in it's serial number. If ever the letter is in a serial number, it is when numbers and letters are clearly sectioned off.

the same caution should apply to those who insist on spelling out clever words for their tele-marketing efforts.

In reply to:

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I don't think companies ever use the letter "O" in serial numbers

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If I remember rightly, don't the year letters on number plates omit I and O for the same reason?

Note for non-Brits: in Britain car registration numbers end or begin with a letter of the alphabet to show what year the car was made and so how old it is.

Bingley

I have just checked out a site which sells old UK registration numbers – http://www.regtransfers.co.uk It appears that the only letter that does not appear anywhere in a registration is “Q”.

I would have said that for letters which signify the year - O and I are omitted, as are Q U and Z. I imagine Z is usually omitted because no-one wants to buy the last of the old series, they would rather wait until it starts with A again. Suprisingly, there seem to be plenty of registrations issued with all of these letters in the body of the registration sequence. As far as I can see the one with the least number of appearances is “Z”.

The system has recently changed and the letters are changed twice each year, rather than once.

> It appears that the only letter that does not appear anywhere in a registration is “Q”.

"Q" is used for certain types of motor vehicle in the UK - certainly cars home-built from kits, and (I think) vehicles of the ASP variety - extensive restorations where so many bits from other cars have been used that one cannot readily identify the completed car with any of its donors.

Bingley is perfectly correct about "I" and "O" being omitted from the prefix (or suffix,if you go back far enough), although they do, of course, appear in the main registration letters. "Z" appears in the main registration if the car was registered in Northern Ireland (Ulster/The Six Counties, depending on your political persuasion) but I think you are right in saying that it doesn't appear as a pre/suffix.

Thank goodness the essential vowels do appear in the main registration, otherwise the ability for ingenious souls to produce personalised and amusing number plates would be severely circumscribed.

My favourite was an old Triumph Herald with the reg.
"TEN 66"

>My favourite was an old Triumph Herald with the reg.
"TEN 66"<

Rhuby,

There's another thread on that topic!

"TEN 66"

10-repdigit?? <grin>
*that doesn't fit the definition...

>>just for the record, "oh" is a letter and "zero" is a number... <<

Oh, OK!

Good one, ter! Welcome, and thank you for having such an
easy name to type in!