nine-one-one vs. nine-eleven?

[Bruce Dykes]

-----Original Message-----
From: Kim & Rima McKinzey <rkm at SLIP.NET>
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 1:28 AM
Subject: Re: nine-one-one vs. nine-eleven?


>>>  Is there any info on who says nine-one-one and who says nine-eleven?
>>>  Regional? Socioeconomic? EMT folks vs. the rest of us?
>>
>>Relatedly, in Chicago in the 80s when the area code 312 was first split
>>into 312/708, I was really taken aback when I heard a suburbanite say
>three-twelve, instead of three-one-two.
>
>I haven't heard nine eleven either - but here in area code 510, I've
>heard both five one oh and five ten.


Which is a whole different behavior altogether. When I give phone numbers to
people doing computer entry (sure, I can't *know* they're using a computer
definitely, but I can make reasonable guesses), I use zero. I know, with
dead certainty, that someone, somewhere, will actually type the letter o if
used 'oh' with any regularity. Nevermind the fact that the software likely
won't let them, that they're not going to make that same mistake after two
days on the job, that they *know* better in the first place.

And nevermind that when I give my zip (postal) code, I use 'oh'. It comes up
less often.

bkd