Decision time is nigh - How do you pronounce 2010?

[alan refail]

After the straightforward "nineteen ninety-nine" came "two thousand" or "the year two thousand", then "two thousand and one" etc. But what will you call next year: "two thousand and ten" or "twenty ten"?
There was "nineteen o nine" followed by "nineteen ten", but we never had "twenty o nine".

By way of confusion, it has been a very interesting ten years in Welsh. After the straightforward "mil naw naw naw" (a thousand nine nine nine) or even "un naw naw naw" (one nine nine nine), we have had a grammatical feast.
2000 - "Dwy fil" Mil (1000) is feminine so dwy (2) not dau (2) and mil changes to fil after dwy
2001 - "Dwy fil ac un"
and then, because Welsh has masculine and feminine forms also for three and four - tri/tair, pedwar/pedair and the word for year is feminine -
2002 - "Dwy fil a dwy"
2003 - "Dwy fil a thair" - just to complicate matters, tair (three) becomes thair after a (and)
2004 - "Dwy fil a phedair" - and pedair (4) becomes phedair after a
2005 - "Dwy fil a phump" - and pump (5) changes to phump
After that no problem, and we're now coming to the end of "Dwy fil a naw".
I await with interest what it will be next year; "Dwy fil a deg" (Two thousand and ten), "Dwi fil dim un dim" (Two thousand nothing one nothing), or "Dau dim un dim"/"Dwy dim un dim" (Two nothing one nothing).

[WestHamRon]

Twenty Ten for me, Alan. Merry Christmans etc.

[snooky]

Afternoon Alan,
No doubt someone in the Welsh Language Society will have an opinion on it,won't be able to get their way,appeal to Plaid Cymru who will kick up a fuss in the Welsh Assembly Government who will debate it to death,kick it into touch and then we will have rioting in the streets until it is referred to Peter Hain who will waffle on about until the next General Election after which it may become someonelse's problem!!!

[Chantal]

Twenty ten has my vote, but to what will it be shortened? We've just had the "noughties" which was bad enough, but the "tens", "teens", what's it going to be? What was it called last century?

[alan refail]

What was it called last century?

I've always heard 1910-1919 referred to as "the nineteen-tens".

I notice that the BBC are using "twenty ten" for next year. Must listen to Radio Cymru to see what it will be in Welsh

[alan refail]

Just listened to Radio Cymru - they've settled for "dwy fil a deg" (two thousand and ten)

[sally wright]

Dear All,
I think last time round they were too busy burying people to worry about such things. Titanic, World War and Spanish flu...
Regards Sally Wright

[Chantal]

The BBC used Two Thousand and Ten yesterday, I wish they'd make their mind up

[Elaine]

I think it will be two thousand and ten for me. Twenty ten sounds like something out of an American Sci Fi programme!
Cheers.

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
If you look at the world wars; they are 14/18 and 39/45 and the wars are always referred to as starting in 19/14 and 19/39 so to me it seems logical that 20/10 will be what the year will be referred to as.
So to me 20/10 it will be.
JB.

[Geoff]

Of course you don't really need to decide until 2012 as "this year" "last year" will do until then.

[glallotments]

I agree Elaine that 20/10 sounds really American but it will probably still light 24/7 seems to have.

I always order a 'normal'coffee rather than 'regular' for the same reason and get funny looks.

It's not anti-American but we should stick to our own way of doing things - diversity etc.

[Elaine]

Here here Glallotments! I'm not anti American either but I like the difference!
I always ask for a medium coffee and get the same funny looks.....well I'm afraid that's tough! I'm English/British and I am not going to be brow beaten into using Americanisms, when our own phrases/expressions are perfectly adequate and self explanatory!
Cheers!