The History of English Podcast Episode 114: The Craft of Numbering
6 snips
Jul 26, 2018 This podcast explores the history of number words, tracing back to Indo-European roots and the replacement of Roman numerals with Hindu Arabic numerals in England. It discusses the use of tally sticks and stones for counting, the development of numbering systems, and the evolution of number words like 'one' and 'two'. It also explores the slow acceptance of Hindu Arabic numerals in England and their impact on arithmetic and science.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Why Decimal Counting Dominated
- Base-10 counting likely arose from using ten fingers, reflected in words like digit.
- Finger-based counting explains why many cultures adopted decimal systems.
Legacy Of The Sexagesimal System
- Sumerians used base-60 (with 12 as an auxiliary) which survives in hours, minutes, and dozens.
- Sixty's divisibility into many equal parts made it especially practical for trade and astronomy.
Latin And Greek Prefixes For 'One'
- English preserved Old English numerals but also began adopting Latin/Greek prefixes like uni- and mono- around 1300.
- These prefixes added new lexical ways to express 'one' in technical and learned contexts.