From pycyn@aol.com Tue Sep 18 03:36:35 2001 Return-Path: X-Sender: Pycyn@aol.com X-Apparently-To: lojban@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_3_2_2); 18 Sep 2001 10:36:35 -0000 Received: (qmail 93839 invoked from network); 18 Sep 2001 08:33:18 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.27) by l7.egroups.com with QMQP; 18 Sep 2001 08:33:18 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO imo-r10.mx.aol.com) (152.163.225.106) by mta2 with SMTP; 18 Sep 2001 08:33:18 -0000 Received: from Pycyn@aol.com by imo-r10.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v31_r1.7.) id r.138.1bb132c (3982) for ; Tue, 18 Sep 2001 04:33:12 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <138.1bb132c.28d860c7@aol.com> Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2001 04:33:11 EDT Subject: Re: [lojban] (from lojban-beginners) pi'e To: lojban@yahoogroups.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_138.1bb132c.28d860c7_boundary" X-Mailer: AOL 6.0 for Windows US sub 10535 From: pycyn@aol.com --part1_138.1bb132c.28d860c7_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable In a message dated 9/17/2001 8:29:14 PM Central Daylight Time, b.gohla@gmx.= de=20 writes: > from my observation people in germany tend to mix the 24h and the 12h sty= le=20 > in speech. >=20 It would be interesting to figure out what factors influence the different= =20 uses. I tend to predict "official" vs. homebody usage. persisted since the Babylonians were the last to use a duodecimal multipl= e > as a base makes it hard to imagine that this will change quickly). which might have to do with the fact that most analog clocks only have a 12= h=20 scale (or is it the other way around? ;) ).=A0> 12 hour days (& 12 hour nights) go back to at least the -7th century, befo= re=20 clocks of any mechanical sort. They were taken over by most of the world=20 (from Babylon as far as we can tell) and standardized in various ways in=20 different cultures. But when better means came along, (candles, clepsydra,= =20 pendula, mainsprings, etc.) they were measured off in 12s again, despite=20 rampant decimalism in most places and worse in some: 7 or 9, say).=20=20 --part1_138.1bb132c.28d860c7_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable In a message dated 9/17/2001 8:29:14 PM Central Daylight Time, b.gohla@gm= x.de writes:

from my observation peopl= e in germany tend to mix the 24h and the 12h style=20
in speech.

It would be interesting to figure out what factors influence the differ= ent uses. I tend to predict "official" vs. homebody usage.

<and the fact that 12 hour clocks have
> persisted since the Babylonians were the last to use a duodecimal = multiple
> as a base makes it hard to imagine that this will change quickly).
which might have to do with the fact that most analog clocks only have = a 12h=20
scale (or is it the other way around? ;) ).=A0>

12 hour days (& 12 hour nights) go back to at least the -7th = century, before clocks of any mechanical sort. They were taken over b= y most of the world (from Babylon as far as we can tell) and standardized i= n various ways in different cultures. But when better means came alon= g, (candles, clepsydra, pendula, mainsprings, etc.) they were measured off = in 12s again, despite rampant decimalism in most places and worse in some: = 7 or 9, say). --part1_138.1bb132c.28d860c7_boundary--