Counting by 10s vs. 20s

[Dan Goncharoff]

I always thought the Romans used threes and twelves to count the hours, and
12 months of 30 days for the year, and, if memory serves, 8 days a week
(the Beatles were right!). If I am correct, then, the vassals were not for
returning, or at least not as much as you assert.

DanG


On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 4:33 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Counting by 10s vs. 20s
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 8/23/2013 03:41 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
> >Wait -- which colonials? What colonies did the French have in the Middle
> >Ages?
>
> No, the untutored colonial vassals of the Roman Empire, who when
> freed from its harsh rule and its rigid and unfeeling decimal system
> returned to the natural state of counting by threes, fours, eights
> (fingers without thumbs), twelves, sixteens, and twenties.
>
> Joel
>
>
> >DanG
> >
> >
> >On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 1:41 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > Subject:      Re: Counting by 10s vs. 20s
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > At 8/23/2013 10:51 AM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
> > > >To me, the interesting question is why any move to a system based on
> 20
> > > >took place when the Romans did not use one. What caused the change?
> > >
> > > Resistance of oppressed colonials to imperial prerogatives.  As was
> > > the cause of the American Revolution.
> > >
> > > Joel
> > >
> > >
> > > >DanG
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >On Thu, Aug 22, 2013 at 9:11 PM, W Brewer <brewerwa at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> > > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > > Poster:       W Brewer <brewerwa at GMAIL.COM>
> > > > > Subject:      Re: Counting by 10s vs. 20s
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >
> > > > > JB: <<Did  European serfs of colder Northern Europe wear shoes,
> > > > > while the peasants of warmer Southern Europe went barefoot?>>
> > > > > WB:  And Honest Abe kept score on fingers & toes. Too simple an
> > > > > explanation. Must get social scientists to amass data, organized
> into
> > > > > volumes of biometrical tables verified by ANOVA. Only then will
> > > everyone
> > > > > forget what the question was and the problem goes away.
> > > > >
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