Why does French say “four twenties” instead of eighty? It sounds strange at first, but it’s actually a surviving piece of linguistic history.
Today, we’re exploring the fascinating logic behind French numbers and the surprising origin of the ampersand symbol.
Logic Behind Linguistics
The Language That Counts in Twenties
In French, some numbers are built using a base-20 system instead of base-10.
For example:
80 = quatre-vingts
literally: “four twenties”90 = quatre-vingt-dix
literally: “four twenties and ten”
Why is this fascinating?
Most modern languages count in groups of ten.
But French preserves traces of an older counting system that likely came from Celtic influences centuries ago.
It means learners sometimes have to do quick mental maths while listening:
4 × 20 + 10 = 90
It’s a reminder that number systems are shaped by history just as much as vocabulary is.
Fun Facts Worth Sharing
The ampersand symbol “&” was once considered part of the English alphabet.
Children learning the alphabet would end by saying:
“X, Y, Z, and per se and.”
Over time, the phrase “and per se and” was shortened into the single word:
ampersand.
So the symbol “&” actually has a surprisingly long linguistic history behind it.
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