[…] according to the Word Detective, we first need to understand the difference between ordinal numbers and cardinal […]
Richie:
April 23rd, 2015 at 3:29 pm
You explain what they mean and where they come from but you don’t explain why we use these words instead of onest etc?
JD:
September 27th, 2019 at 9:49 pm
Most likely “first”, “second”, and “third” (or their precursers) predate the other ordinals by a long time — even the innumerate can distinguish the first three numbers. (Like the old joke about caveman math, which has, 1, 2, 3, and many) Once you have established words for the first three ordinals, you do not change them to match the system you come up with for the rest.
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On the Origins of First, Second, and Third | Josh Mosey | Writer:
October 30th, 2014 at 12:02 am
[…] according to the Word Detective, we first need to understand the difference between ordinal numbers and cardinal […]
Richie:
April 23rd, 2015 at 3:29 pm
You explain what they mean and where they come from but you don’t explain why we use these words instead of onest etc?
JD:
September 27th, 2019 at 9:49 pm
Most likely “first”, “second”, and “third” (or their precursers) predate the other ordinals by a long time — even the innumerate can distinguish the first three numbers. (Like the old joke about caveman math, which has, 1, 2, 3, and many) Once you have established words for the first three ordinals, you do not change them to match the system you come up with for the rest.