[Tfug] OT: A "musing"

[Bexley Hall]

--- Jeremy D Rogers <jdrogers at optics.arizona.edu>
wrote:

> Interesting.. I've actually thought about this
> before (w00t! I'm a
> nerd), though in slightly different terms as I was
> always confused
> about where to write in "AND"s when writing out

I only use one "and" -- between the "whole dollars"
and "fractional dollars".

> checks. It reminds me
> of the Kevin James stand up routine about phone
> number rhythm.
> 
> For strings of numbers, i.e. credit card, accounts,
> etc., I think I
> generally break numbers into groups of 2:

Interesting.  I either read off a series of *digits*
(for long/"wide" values) or fall into the more
conventional "named units" approach.  Of course,
there are myriad exceptions:
phone numbers
SSN's
dates
etc.

> 123 - one twenty three
> 605 - six oh five (here the 'oh' is necessary to
> eliminate ambiguity)
> 1610 - sixteen ten
> 182937 - eighteen.. twenty nine.. thirty seven (here
> the slight pauses
> set up a rhythm alert the listener of the breaks so
> there is no
> confusion that "thirty seven" is 30-7 = 307)
> 
> However, when dealing with numbers that represent
> quantities (not just
> a label), I usually do something more like your
> second example with
> the and's.
> 5431 - five thousand four hundred and thirty one.
> Thinking about it, I think the AND is actually an
> auditory cue that is
> the used almost like punctuation. It lets the
> listener know that the
> end of the number is what follows.

I found one of the more "listenable" (no idea if
such a word exists  :< ) approaches is to treat
all numbers as groups of right-justified "triads".
In each triad, if the hundreds digit is nonzero
and the tens or units digit is '0', insert "AND"
after "hundred".  Insert a "comma-pause" after
the triad.

I've also found that adding AND for the "teens"
seems to make it more recognizable.  E.g,
"three hundred and twelve" vs. "three hundred twelve".

<shrug>  As I said, it is the sort of thing that
one can quickly talk oneself into a circle over...

--don


 
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