this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2024
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[–] Beryl@lemmy.world 17 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

It supposedly comes from originaly counting in base 20 ( a.k.a : vigesimal system) in some proto-european language. There are traces of it in breton, albanese, basque and danish for example. Even in english, there is a reminiscence of vigesimal, in the "score", see for example Lincoln's Gettysburg Address which famously starts with : "Fourscore and seven years ago...", meaning 87 years ago.

[–] loutr@sh.itjust.works 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

As a frenchman who always found quatre-vingt weird but never bothered to find out why, thanks :)

[–] Beryl@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Mais je t'en prie :)

[–] perviouslyiner@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

In English is this why we say fifteen instead of tentyfive?