In the Sherlock Holmes books numbers are often in the form of e.g. "two-and-twenty" instead of the currently usual form of "twenty-two". To me this change to start with the more significant number makes sense. But what led to this change in numbering and when did it take place? Did it follow a longer debate? Was there a transition period? Could a similar transition happen to other languages like german, where at the moment a "two-and-twenty"-style numbering is in place?
Kratzkopf t1_j1zypsk wrote
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In the Sherlock Holmes books numbers are often in the form of e.g. "two-and-twenty" instead of the currently usual form of "twenty-two". To me this change to start with the more significant number makes sense. But what led to this change in numbering and when did it take place? Did it follow a longer debate? Was there a transition period? Could a similar transition happen to other languages like german, where at the moment a "two-and-twenty"-style numbering is in place?