Bretrick
Well-known Member
- Location
- Perth Western Australia
Why is it not written as fourty?
Who makes these rules?
Who makes these rules?
When writing numbers why is Forty the accepted way to write this number
- Thread starter Bretrick
- Start date
jujube
SF VIP
And yet, it's fourteen not forteen.
It's because someone has his tongue around his eye tooth and he can't see a thing he says.
It's because someone has his tongue around his eye tooth and he can't see a thing he says.
Tommy
Senior Member
- Location
- New Hampshire
. . . and don't even think about pondering the logic behind eleven or twelve. 
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
Ah the English language, makes you wonder why so many non-English speakers want to learn it when you get examples like colonel and pronounce it cernal. An actor might take his cue, as would someone playing billiards or snooker, but when I am in line it's spelling changes to queue. Go figure.
Tomorrow is Wednesday but who doesn't say Wensday? That disgusting residue that I spat into a tissue this morning is known as phlegm, we English speakers couldn't simply have a common or garden word like flem, no, no, no. We have a Latin word that is derived from the Greek word: phlégma.
Psychologically we wouldn't spell a word starting with the letter 'P' and then not pronounce it, would we? There again who would put the letter 'b' in a word only to ignore it, or is that too subtle?
Tomorrow is Wednesday but who doesn't say Wensday? That disgusting residue that I spat into a tissue this morning is known as phlegm, we English speakers couldn't simply have a common or garden word like flem, no, no, no. We have a Latin word that is derived from the Greek word: phlégma.
Psychologically we wouldn't spell a word starting with the letter 'P' and then not pronounce it, would we? There again who would put the letter 'b' in a word only to ignore it, or is that too subtle?
Michael Z
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern Wisconsin
Just don’t write it as Fordy. I’m a Chevy man.
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BJintheUK
Member
- Location
- Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, UK
To enlighten you all about how utterly easy (not) our language is, see below.
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The bandage was wound around the wound
The farm was used to produce produce
The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse
He could lead if he got the lead out
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert
There is no time like the present, so he thought it was time to present his present
A bass was painted onto the head of a bass drum
When shot at the dove dove into the bushes
I did not object to the object
The insurance was invalid for the invalid
The oarsmen had a row about how to row
They were too close to the door to close it
I polish the Polish furniture then polish off all the sweets
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I'm sure there are many more where these came from, but I can't find them at present.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bandage was wound around the wound
The farm was used to produce produce
The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse
He could lead if he got the lead out
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert
There is no time like the present, so he thought it was time to present his present
A bass was painted onto the head of a bass drum
When shot at the dove dove into the bushes
I did not object to the object
The insurance was invalid for the invalid
The oarsmen had a row about how to row
They were too close to the door to close it
I polish the Polish furniture then polish off all the sweets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sure there are many more where these came from, but I can't find them at present.
OldFeller
Well-known Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania, USA
The more important question is Why do we even need to spell out numbers?
Forty is spelled without a "u" because it evolved from Old English, where it was originally spelled as "feowertig."
Well that just makes sense, right?
Over time, as English spelling became standardized, the spelling "forty" became accepted, while "fourty" was phased out despite its historical usage.
When you write the numerical word for 40, it’s “forty,” but when it comes to the next nine numbers after it, you need to hyphenate them. So, it’s forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, and so on.
Forty is spelled without a "u" because it evolved from Old English, where it was originally spelled as "feowertig."
Well that just makes sense, right?
Over time, as English spelling became standardized, the spelling "forty" became accepted, while "fourty" was phased out despite its historical usage.
When you write the numerical word for 40, it’s “forty,” but when it comes to the next nine numbers after it, you need to hyphenate them. So, it’s forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, and so on.
gruntlabor
Well-known Member
- Location
- Last Frontier, Age 83
A perch in a tree? Impossible!
Nathan
SF VIP
- Location
- High Desert- Calif.
So, what about the Firth of Forth? Did they mean fifth, but merely malformed the second "F" and instead looks like an "R". But, what would the "fifth of forth"(fourth?) even be? What's a firth?
jujube
SF VIP
Well, it was firth. It wasn't thecond, after all, or threed.... one has to give credit where credit is due.
BJintheUK
Member
- Location
- Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, UK
????????
Sorry, but I don't understand your comment. I never mentioned a perch or a tree.
.
CaliS
girl next door
- Location
- West Coast, USA
One of the best examples of how utterly insane the English language truly is!!!!
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Forty is the American way of spelling. We don't insert the "u" in the some of same words that those from the U.K. and apparently Australia do. Can't think of other examples right now.
Paco Dennis
SF VIP
- Location
- Mid-Missouri
Interesting question. I think it is evolution of language. But let's ask the wizard of AI :
That's an interesting question about English spelling!
The reason forty is written with a 'y' instead of following the pattern of numbers like ten, twenty, thirty, etc., which use '-ty', comes down to the historical development of the English language.Etymology and Historical Shift
The spelling of forty is essentially a remnant of Old English and has a history that slightly diverges from the neat pattern we see now:
* The Pattern: The numbers from twenty up to ninety generally follow a structure that combines the single digit's name with "-ty", which historically derived from the Old English word tīġ, meaning "ten" (as in twentig for twenty, thirtig for thirty).
* The Anomaly ('Forty'): The word for four was fēower in Old English. The combination that led to forty was fēowertīġ. Over time, as sounds shifted and words shortened (linguistic leveling), the "u" or "eo" sound in the first part eroded or changed significantly, and the spelling stabilized to forty rather than fourty.
* Spelling Stabilization: During the standardization of English spelling (especially from the 16th century onward), forty became the firmly established spelling, even though the root word is clearly four.
Linguistic Leveling and Analogy
What's fascinating is that while forty is the accepted spelling, it's often seen as an irregularity or an example of linguistic leveling where a historical form resisted the trend.
* What we might expect: Following the pattern of four \rightarrow fourty.
* What we have: Four \rightarrow forty.
This kind of spelling inconsistency isn't unique in English (think of words like is vs. are, or go vs. went), but in this case, the spelling of forty predates the strict adherence to the [digit] + ty pattern that fully crystallized later.
In short, forty is the accepted way because it's the historically attested spelling that solidified centuries ago, even though it looks slightly different from its neighbors like thirty and fifty.
Would you like to know about the history of another number spelling, like eleven or twelve?
Paladin1950
Still love 50's & 60's music!
- Location
- Mohawk Valley, NY
I always write tooty on my checks instead of twenty.well thirty isnt written as threety either or fifty as fivety or twenty as twoty
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
We are not alone with this type of oddity. In French there's no 80 or 90. They say quatre-vingts (it means four twenties,) and quatre-vingt-dix. (four twenties & ten.)
Bretrick
Well-known Member
- Location
- Perth Western Australia
Why is a Flute player called a Flautist and not a Flutist?
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Ya have to wonder B. I also wonder why a piano player is called a pianist (pronounced pee-a-nist) instead of pian-nist. Also I thought of the other word in which British insert a U and we do not. We write Color as opposed to Colour.