Why Do People Pronounce Zero as 'O'?

SpaceTime · 15-09-2013 11:02AM

For some reason the automatic announcements in the UK throw a US friend of mine really badly.

"The number you have called has been changed to telephone number: Oh-71-Double-9, 9, double-8, 8, double 6, double-oh" (read out in a cut glass accent that makes the queen sound a bit rough).

071 999 888 00

(This is a fake number of course!)

He was looking for the "dublin" button!

He was also confused by the use of the verb "to ring" instead of "to call".

"give me a quick ring on oh double 7 double 5 ....." caused total confusion!

Stick Monkey · 15-09-2013 11:03AM

I like the Elephant Storage guy when he reads out the tel no " naught naught naught naught"

SpaceTime · 15-09-2013 11:04AM

Agent "zero zero seven" just sounds wrong .. Double-Oh-Seven.

15-09-2013 11:04AM

Because we feel like it

Also it's easier to say

SpaceTime wrote: »

That's from Irish teachers who have a fixation on Gaeilge. It is "ah" in Irish it's Aey in English.

Outside Ireland, nobody will recognise "Ah" as meaning the letter "A"

It's "Ah" in French too.

I've heard kids being taught "ah" "be" "cee" "dee"
instead of "aye" "be" "cee" "dee"

Oh aye

frozenfrozen · 15-09-2013 11:05AM

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

On another first world problem, should we start a thread on the correct pronunciation of the letter 'z '

Zee or Zed

Zed's dead baby

Peregrinus · 15-09-2013 11:05AM

This number has several names, including zero, nought and oh or o. Despite what Banjo String says, I don't think that o is a contraction of zero; it's more probably named from the similar letter. In English we tend not to contract words to their final syllable.

"O" is generally acceptable when voicing strings of digits , because it flows well and there is no possibility of ambiguity.

That's why we voice, say, the year 1908 as we do. Using anything but "oh" in that context would sound just silly. There is a US dialectical variation where it would be voiced as "nineteen aught eight", but somehow I don't see that catching on here. And, if it's acceptable in years, I don't see that it can be unacceptable in phone numbers.
'

Banjo String · 15-09-2013 11:06AM

ThirdMan wrote: »

I was on a mobile. In common parlance you'll never hear anyone refer to a mobile telephone.

The term mobile phone is used all the time. Seriously.
To try and convince me that you've never heard anyone use that term will be impossible.

ThirdMan wrote: »

A quick Google search should satisfy your pedantry.

No need for that tbh. I answered the question you asked.

(Typed on my mobile phone)

SpaceTime · 15-09-2013 11:08AM

The funniest one I ever heard though was this guy from the states telling my granny's friend all about his new "cell phone"

When he was gone she said : Jesus Anne, put your purse away! he's one of those ex-cons! Did you not hear him talking about the phone they put in his cell!

ThirdMan · 15-09-2013 11:10AM

Banjo String wrote: »

The term mobile phone is used all the time. Seriously.

Yes, the term mobile phone is, but the term mobile telephone isn't. Do try to read a post before replying to it. It saves me time, and you a red face.

Banjo String · 15-09-2013 11:13AM

ThirdMan wrote: »

Yes, the term mobile phone is, but the term mobile telephone isn't. Do try to read a post before replying to it. It saves me time, and you a red face.

I pointed out that phone was the norm over the word telephone on my opening post

I even put my O/shortened from Zer-Oh reference to guide you.

What's your point, or do you even have one

Artful_Badger · 15-09-2013 11:17AM

Paddy Cow wrote: »

I've just realised that I use both O and zero when giving my phone number.

Someone: What's your number?
Me: O87 *** zero*zero*

I do the same. I think that 087 isnt seen as a number but rather seen as another word for the provider or something. I have an 087 phone rather than an 085 one to say you're on Vodafone and not Meteor. I think I use zero for everything else bar the start of the phone number.

This could have been ingrained in us by the British as one last attempt to ruin us through that early morning cartoon channel where they'd get ya to ring in on Oh 8 11 811 81 81.

Cee-Jay-Cee · 15-09-2013 11:18AM

Wibbs wrote: »

Cos it looks like one?

No it doesn't. One looks like 1.

mike65 · 15-09-2013 11:21AM

Do Americans say Zeeeeero?

ThirdMan · 15-09-2013 11:22AM

Banjo String wrote: »

I can never understand why some cretins refer to the telephone as a phone

I pointed out why I, and others, use phone, rather than the more antiquated telephone. That's where this began.

Banjo String wrote: »

The term mobile phone is used all the time. Seriously.

I think we're getting our wires crossed a bit. But you wouldn't have written this sentence if you had actually read what I had written. I mean, where did I say the term 'mobile phone' isn't used. I called it common parlance. Do you know what common parlance means?

So what's my point? Try to keep up, I guess.

SpaceTime · 15-09-2013 11:23AM

Artful_Badger wrote: »

I do the same. I think that 087 isnt seen as a number but rather seen as another word for the provider or something. I have an 087 phone rather than an 085 one to say you're on Vodafone and not Meteor. I think I use zero for everything else bar the start of the phone number.
.

I think that's kind of fading out as more numbers are ported to other networks.

I know shop keepers are really careful to confirm you want Vodafone credit if you say 087 credit.

yabadabado · 15-09-2013 11:28AM

ThirdMan wrote: »

I was on a mobile. In common parlance you'll never hear anyone refer to a mobile telephone. A quick Google search should satisfy your pedantry.

Now that makes more sense. Western laziness that doesn't translate around the world. Perfect.

mobile home?

wendell borton · 15-09-2013 11:29AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFfu8K0320A

ThirdMan · 15-09-2013 11:31AM

yabadabado wrote: »

mobile home?

Yes, I was on a mobile home. Not in one, but on one. Keep up the good work my friend, and don't let grammar bog you down.

bgrizzley · 15-09-2013 11:37AM

ThirdMan wrote: »

I'm just wondering how this started, and do other countries do it? It doesn't make sense. I was once put through to an I.T. call-centre in India, and I was asked to confirm my phone number. There was two 'O's' in my number back then. Needless to say the guy on the phone had no idea what I was stalking about. He asked for numbers, and I was giving him letters. Lost in translation.

i blame Bond...

edit. (due to decreasing skimming skills)

Good evening Mr Time, Mr Space Time...

15-09-2013 11:38AM

pickarooney wrote: »

Why don't more people say 'niner'?

We don't all work for air traffic control. :P

ThirdMan · 15-09-2013 11:41AM

bgrizzley wrote: »

i blame Bond...

Great reply, but someone beat you to it a few pages back!

Artful_Badger · 15-09-2013 11:42AM

ThirdMan wrote: »

Yes, I was on a mobile home. Not in one, but on one. Keep up the good work my friend, and don't let grammar bog you down.

What were ya doing on top of a mobile home ?

newmug · 15-09-2013 11:52AM

Nobody put down the obvious answer yet - we pronounce it "oh" because that's how we were taught it in school! (Around here anyway!). Ten was one-oh, a hundred was one-oh-oh etc. Zero just sounds like another fupping annoying Americanism.

Peregrinus · 15-09-2013 11:57AM

newmug wrote: »

Nobody put down the obvious answer yet - we pronounce it "oh" because that's how we were taught it in school! (Around here anyway!). Ten was one-oh, a hundred was one-oh-oh etc. Zero just sounds like another fupping annoying Americanism.

Arabism. Comes to us through Italian.

Banjo String · 15-09-2013 11:59AM

Artful_Badger wrote: »

What were ya doing on top of a mobile home ?

Pa told him the drinks are on the house.

yabadabado · 15-09-2013 12:02PM

ThirdMan wrote: »

Yes, I was on a mobile home. Not in one, but on one. Keep up the good work my friend, and don't let grammar bog you down.

Hey wats grammer got to do wit it friend

Artful_Badger · 15-09-2013 12:03PM

newmug wrote: »

Nobody put down the obvious answer yet - we pronounce it "oh" because that's how we were taught it in school! (Around here anyway!). Ten was one-oh, a hundred was one-oh-oh etc. Zero just sounds like another fupping annoying Americanism.

But it was taught as zero in maths wasn't it ? 1 x zero = zero. Not 1 x oh = oh. Its only phone numbers that I do it with. Maybe it was taught to the older generation as oh and not zero and they passed it on but when I was in school I remember being taught zero as in nothing rather than oh as in the round symbol.

Could have been taught by teaches as oh in everything outside maths too I suppose.

kylith · 15-09-2013 12:05PM

shamrock55 wrote: »

Ive often thought about this too actually its really annoying even though i do it myself, if i was giving my no to someone face to face i would say o, but if i was speaking to a call centre or something of that nature i would say zero
Another pet hate of mine is the way irish people say ahhh for the letter a, i spent my first 6 or 7 years in school in england and when i came home to ireland i couldnt get over why people said ahhh instead of a

I think it's to do with pronunciation. If it's pronounced 'ah' then I'll say 'ah' if spelling it, same with 'ay'. It indicates to the spellee how to pronounce the word; spelling Alan 'ay-el-ay-en' would indicate that it should be pronounced Aylayn rather than with a hard 'ah' sound.

Tweej · 15-09-2013 12:13PM

doolox wrote: »

Using "O" for zero is inaccurate and not done in countries where there is a good standard of maths education but is common enough here outside of the military, engineering or aviation community where accuracy is not emphasised.

Stuff that. Plenty of people in my course use 'o' in reference to zero.

Femme_Fatale · 15-09-2013 12:18PM

ThirdMan wrote: »

I was hoping for a better explanation. It couldn't be as dumb as that.

That's all it is. Mixing up 0 with O/o. It can be a bit problematic - e.g. vehicle registration plates, H2O being written as H20, the O2 venue being written as the 02, etc.

Why Do People Pronounce Zero as 'O'?

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