Date: Thu, 2 May 96 22:09:52 BST
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To: "Harding, George E." <GHarding@ACS2.FMARION.EDU>
From: raybrown@macline.co.uk (Raymond A. Brown)
Subject: Re: CONLANG: I get paid weekly, very weakly.
Cc: conlang@diku.dk
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Reply-To: raybrown@macline.co.uk (Raymond A. Brown)
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>Ray et alii:
>
>I seem to remember something about the seven-day week having been either
>influenced by or the result of Oriental numerology (which would explain,
>perhaps, the Semitic connection with the IE ) whereby the number seven
>represents a complete set.  Therefore we have such groups as Seven Deadly
>Sins, the Seven Wonders of the World, etc.
That's right. Probably in the first instance from habit of dividing each
"month" i.e. lunation into quarters, corresponding to moon phases.  As a
lunation is roughly 29.5 days, a few "weeks" would have had 8 days, the
majority 7.  Then certainly the mathematical oddity of 7 (doesn't make nice
"patterns" and so forth like other numbers) must have clinched it: 7 is
very special.

>Since the term "week" derives
>from the Germanic _*wikon_ (fem.), meaning "series", and which is related
>with Latin _vicem_ (acc.) "exchange," one group (of days) following another
>may support the idea of a series of groups.
>
>But then we find the irrefutable evidence of the Bealtes' song: "Eight Days
>a Week."
Eight Days a Week?  You're making my brain hurt - guess it's been "A Hard
Day's Night".

Ray.

PS - I'm also paid very weakly, but monthly.