chargirlgenius (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chargirlgenius) wrote2010-01-07 07:04 pm
chargirlgenius) wrote2010-01-07 07:04 pm
Entry tags:
Misguided pedantry
Ok, I've got to make a small rant. This is about the end of the decade. You might be surprised at the direction of my pedantry...
A lot of people have tried to point out that the end of the decade isn't actually until the end of this year, not the beginning of it. Much like the end of the century/millennium wasn't until December 31st, 2000, the end of the decade would be December 31st, 2010, right?
NO!
"A decade" is defined as any period of ten years. When we refer to centuries or millennia, we are using ordinal counting. We call it "the 20th century" or "the second millenium". When we use ordinal counting, we're naming the century in reference to the beginning of the Common Era (aka A.D.) And, as many people will point out, there was no year zero, so the first century was 1-100, the 2nd was 101-200, etc.
HOWEVER, we do not refer to decades with ordinal counting. When is the last time you heard somebody say "the 199th decade since Christ"? We call them "The 80s".
In any case, 1980 was certainly a part of the decade named "The 80s". It's a set of 10 years in which the first three digits were "198". This year is part of the decade called "The 10s". It's not the last year in the decade called, er, well, whatever you called them (I personally like the "noughties").
So, all of those people who had a stick up their rear about the new millennium not starting until 2001? Yeah, I was one of them, and we were right. ;-) But a lot of them have continued that thinking to decades, where it doesn't, or at least doesn't have to apply. So, when they start trying to act intellectually superior about it (and I've already seen it happen!) you can rest assured that it's an *incorrect* stick up their rear.
A lot of people have tried to point out that the end of the decade isn't actually until the end of this year, not the beginning of it. Much like the end of the century/millennium wasn't until December 31st, 2000, the end of the decade would be December 31st, 2010, right?
NO!
"A decade" is defined as any period of ten years. When we refer to centuries or millennia, we are using ordinal counting. We call it "the 20th century" or "the second millenium". When we use ordinal counting, we're naming the century in reference to the beginning of the Common Era (aka A.D.) And, as many people will point out, there was no year zero, so the first century was 1-100, the 2nd was 101-200, etc.
HOWEVER, we do not refer to decades with ordinal counting. When is the last time you heard somebody say "the 199th decade since Christ"? We call them "The 80s".
In any case, 1980 was certainly a part of the decade named "The 80s". It's a set of 10 years in which the first three digits were "198". This year is part of the decade called "The 10s". It's not the last year in the decade called, er, well, whatever you called them (I personally like the "noughties").
So, all of those people who had a stick up their rear about the new millennium not starting until 2001? Yeah, I was one of them, and we were right. ;-) But a lot of them have continued that thinking to decades, where it doesn't, or at least doesn't have to apply. So, when they start trying to act intellectually superior about it (and I've already seen it happen!) you can rest assured that it's an *incorrect* stick up their rear.
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And when I turned 30, I was in my 30s!
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The 1900's obviously began on Jan. 1, 1900, and ended on Dec. 31, 1999.
The 20th century began on Jan. 1, 1901 and ended on Dec. 31, 2000. It had a 99-year overlap with the 1900's, but it's not quite the same thing.
And likewise with decades: the 00's began on Jan. 1, 2000, and ended on Dec. 31, 2009, while the first decade of the 21st century began on Jan. 1, 2001 and will end on Dec. 31, 2010.
It doesn't work quite the same way with people's ages, since people aren't born at age 1: when you turned 30, you simultaneously entered your thirties, your fourth decade, and your 31st year.
pedantically...
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Win. :)
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