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[–] 111 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (10 children)

Just wait until you look into French numbers.

How different languages say 97:

🇬🇧: 90+7 (ok, there is some jank in English numbers - 13-19 are in line with the Germanic pronunciation, i.e. pronounced "right to left", as a weird hold-over from the more Germanic Old English)

🇪🇸: 90+7

🇩🇪: 7+90

🇫🇷: 4x20+10+7

And if you think that's bad, the Danes actually make the French look sane...

🇩🇰: 7+(-½+5)x20

Even Danes generally don't really know why their numbers are like that, they just remember and go along with it.

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  • [–] 33 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    what the actual fuck is wrong with you, denmark?

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  • [–] 22 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    While learning Danish I figured out that's just the arcane incantation for the number. It's language juju, and you just have to know that it be like it do. Yes, it's syv og halvfems, but the reason behind it doesn't matter anymore. The rest of the double digit numbers are a mess as well; 30 is tredive (three tens in old norse) but starting with 50 it's this weird score (20) and half-to-score system.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    When I first started learning my brain was desperately trying to make heads or tails of it and rationalize it somehow. And then I realized that was stupid, abandoned reason, and now I just utter these backwards ass numbers and we all nod and everyone is happy lol. Language is weird.

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  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    https://youtu.be/s-mOy8VUEBk?si=1dudvGSjUd9VI11D

    🇩🇰🫡

    It’s not easy running an isenkramstornunung when nobody remembers what anything is called

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  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    I think Finnish would be

    🇫🇮: 9•10+7

    Nine-tens seven

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    Same for Japanese

    🇯🇵: 9•10+7

    九(kyuu) 十(juu) 七(nana)

    Also, similar to English, 20 does not follow the pattern but instead has its own word. (Still written as 2•10 though)

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