Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Using fewer syllables to express numbers

thegraycuber.github.io

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 45 posts

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#21

Post by IsTom »

driggs wrote: post #3

This website is a useless exercise, but the idea in the submission title "using fewer syllables to express numbers" has utility. As a musician, I frequently need to count to a rhythm, and the pesky number seven's two syllables throws my cadence off. So I count a bar of 8 like this: > one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight Occasionally I'll need to count up to as high as 16, which is especially tricky. It'd be e…

Personally I prefer to use non-numerical word phrases (especially in odd meters) with the right number of syllables instead. If you want to you can even place accents where they're supposed to be with right words.

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#22

Post by driggs »

bediger4000 wrote: post #14
driggs wrote: post #3

This website is a useless exercise, but the idea in the submission title "using fewer syllables to express numbers" has utility. As a musician, I frequently need to count to a rhythm, and the pesky number seven's two syllables throws my cadence off. So I count a bar of 8 like this: > one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight Occasionally I'll need to count up to as high as 16, which is especially tricky. It'd be e…

Given all of music's esoteric conventions and historical vestiges, I'm surprised they don't zero index. Octaves divided into thirds and fifths, who decided that was ok?

Oof, "zero" is two syllables so we'll have to pronounce it "null".

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#23

Post by drob518 »

driggs wrote: post #3

This website is a useless exercise, but the idea in the submission title "using fewer syllables to express numbers" has utility. As a musician, I frequently need to count to a rhythm, and the pesky number seven's two syllables throws my cadence off. So I count a bar of 8 like this: > one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight Occasionally I'll need to count up to as high as 16, which is especially tricky. It'd be e…

If you’re counting it fast, you can run things together a bit:

One, two, three, four, five, six, sev, nate

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#24

Post by chrismorgan »

driggs wrote: post #3

This website is a useless exercise, but the idea in the submission title "using fewer syllables to express numbers" has utility. As a musician, I frequently need to count to a rhythm, and the pesky number seven's two syllables throws my cadence off. So I count a bar of 8 like this: > one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight Occasionally I'll need to count up to as high as 16, which is especially tricky. It'd be e…

I’ve settled on “sen” for seven when I want it short.

Zero could also do with being a monosyllable, but at least we have “oh” and “nil” for that.

Then there are letters. 25 of them are monosyllables (though a few like “aitch” and “kyoo” cut it fine), then w (double you) is three syllables, and not even right, it’s double vee.

Unfortunately, once I mysteriously manage to right these two wrongs, power will go to my head, and I’ll go ahead with other spelling reforms and abolishing a few stupid letters like c and x and replacing them with others for all those poor fricatives that have been loaded onto -h digraphs.

And while all that’s going on, I’ll be learning Telugu better, and it will laugh at me with its average of 2.5 syllables per digit.

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#25

Post by throw-the-towel »

driggs wrote: post #3

This website is a useless exercise, but the idea in the submission title "using fewer syllables to express numbers" has utility. As a musician, I frequently need to count to a rhythm, and the pesky number seven's two syllables throws my cadence off. So I count a bar of 8 like this: > one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight Occasionally I'll need to count up to as high as 16, which is especially tricky. It'd be e…

In French, all numbers between 10 and 15 except 14 are monosyllabic! So, you just might say "dix, onze, douze" and so on. (Quatorze will have to become 'torze or something.)

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#26

Post by sublinear »

driggs wrote: post #3

This website is a useless exercise, but the idea in the submission title "using fewer syllables to express numbers" has utility. As a musician, I frequently need to count to a rhythm, and the pesky number seven's two syllables throws my cadence off. So I count a bar of 8 like this: > one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight Occasionally I'll need to count up to as high as 16, which is especially tricky. It'd be e…

I'm having a hard time thinking of a good time signature that accents on a subdivision smaller than an eighth. Can you give an example?

I also don't know any musicians that would count everything. I usually hear "and", "and" "uh", "ee" "and" "uh", etc. between the downbeats and numbers are typically used to count whole notes.

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#28

Post by pluralmonad »

driggs wrote: post #22
bediger4000 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given all of music's esoteric conventions and historical vestiges, I'm surprised they don't zero index. Octaves divided into thirds and fifths, who decided that was ok?

Oof, "zero" is two syllables so we'll have to pronounce it "null".

Zed is probably fine.

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#29

Post by Aardwolf »

throw-the-towel wrote: post #25
driggs wrote: post #3

This website is a useless exercise, but the idea in the submission title "using fewer syllables to express numbers" has utility. As a musician, I frequently need to count to a rhythm, and the pesky number seven's two syllables throws my cadence off. So I count a bar of 8 like this: > one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight Occasionally I'll need to count up to as high as 16, which is especially tricky. It'd be e…

In French, all numbers between 10 and 15 except 14 are monosyllabic! So, you just might say "dix, onze, douze" and so on. (Quatorze will have to become 'torze or something.)

16 too: seize

Re: Using fewer syllables to express numbers

#30

Post by peterlada »

Aardwolf wrote: post #29
throw-the-towel wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In French, all numbers between 10 and 15 except 14 are monosyllabic! So, you just might say "dix, onze, douze" and so on. (Quatorze will have to become 'torze or something.)

16 too: seize

Sez -single syllable
Post reply on HN