Why do Americans want to know the month first and the day second?
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wrote on last edited by [email protected]
I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense TO ME. Based on what I was taught, regardless of the month, I think what matters first is to know what day of the month you are in, if at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of said month. After you know that, you can find out the month to know where you are in the year.
What is the benefit of doing it the other way around?
EDIT: To avoid misunderstandings:
- I am NOT making fun OF ANYONE.
- I am NOT negatively judging ANYTHING.
- I am totally open to being corrected and LEARN.
- This post is out of pure and honest CURIOSITY.
So PLEASE, don't take it the wrong way.
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I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense TO ME. Based on what I was taught, regardless of the month, I think what matters first is to know what day of the month you are in, if at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of said month. After you know that, you can find out the month to know where you are in the year.
What is the benefit of doing it the other way around?
EDIT: To avoid misunderstandings:
- I am NOT making fun OF ANYONE.
- I am NOT negatively judging ANYTHING.
- I am totally open to being corrected and LEARN.
- This post is out of pure and honest CURIOSITY.
So PLEASE, don't take it the wrong way.
I'm guessing, but it's likely because the spoken form for a date is normally, 'May 31st, 2025" vs "The 31st of May, 2025", hence 05/31/25 v 31/05/25.
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I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense TO ME. Based on what I was taught, regardless of the month, I think what matters first is to know what day of the month you are in, if at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of said month. After you know that, you can find out the month to know where you are in the year.
What is the benefit of doing it the other way around?
EDIT: To avoid misunderstandings:
- I am NOT making fun OF ANYONE.
- I am NOT negatively judging ANYTHING.
- I am totally open to being corrected and LEARN.
- This post is out of pure and honest CURIOSITY.
So PLEASE, don't take it the wrong way.
When you speak it, do you say July 3rd or 3rd of July? Both are fine.
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When you speak it, do you say July 3rd or 3rd of July? Both are fine.
In America we only say July third or FOURTH OF JULY
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When you speak it, do you say July 3rd or 3rd of July? Both are fine.
3rd of July, as I'm used to by the german 'dritter Juli'
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I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense TO ME. Based on what I was taught, regardless of the month, I think what matters first is to know what day of the month you are in, if at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of said month. After you know that, you can find out the month to know where you are in the year.
What is the benefit of doing it the other way around?
EDIT: To avoid misunderstandings:
- I am NOT making fun OF ANYONE.
- I am NOT negatively judging ANYTHING.
- I am totally open to being corrected and LEARN.
- This post is out of pure and honest CURIOSITY.
So PLEASE, don't take it the wrong way.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]It's inherited from a historic convention from the UK. Historically the rationale was that the month was more important than the year, so they put it first, although this has no useful consistency or order to it.
Unfortunately, kind of dumb decisions from the past tend to stick and keep existing for an unnecessary long time because people get used to them and then never change them. Popularity or habit can beat reason, objectivity etc...
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I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense TO ME. Based on what I was taught, regardless of the month, I think what matters first is to know what day of the month you are in, if at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of said month. After you know that, you can find out the month to know where you are in the year.
What is the benefit of doing it the other way around?
EDIT: To avoid misunderstandings:
- I am NOT making fun OF ANYONE.
- I am NOT negatively judging ANYTHING.
- I am totally open to being corrected and LEARN.
- This post is out of pure and honest CURIOSITY.
So PLEASE, don't take it the wrong way.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]We don't want or care about it. Its just the way its always been over here. Same with fahrenheit and the imperial system. I know this is a little exaggerated but imagine asking a Japanese person why they dont just speak english because its the worlds most spoken language. Its one of those things other countries like to pick on us for that I think is a little stupid. Instead you should be dunking on us for putting an orange party clown in the whitehouse. Again. But then again there are some exploitative processes that helped make that happen like gerrymandering. My point is that our shit healthcare and the majority of the things that we are laughed at for is out of our hands. Even the fat jokes can be somewhat blamed on the fact that the availabilty of cheap unhealthy food with a large portion size is greater than pricier organic options and lots of the poor tend to take that route. I'm not saying our majority is completely blameless but these are factors to consider.
Edit: following your Edit: thank you for the clarification
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When you speak it, do you say July 3rd or 3rd of July? Both are fine.
I speak speak Spanish, so we just say "Primero de Julio" (1st of July)" an then "Dos/tres/quince de Julio" (Two/three/fifteen of July). An of course, all are perfectly fine.
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We don't want or care about it. Its just the way its always been over here. Same with fahrenheit and the imperial system. I know this is a little exaggerated but imagine asking a Japanese person why they dont just speak english because its the worlds most spoken language. Its one of those things other countries like to pick on us for that I think is a little stupid. Instead you should be dunking on us for putting an orange party clown in the whitehouse. Again. But then again there are some exploitative processes that helped make that happen like gerrymandering. My point is that our shit healthcare and the majority of the things that we are laughed at for is out of our hands. Even the fat jokes can be somewhat blamed on the fact that the availabilty of cheap unhealthy food with a large portion size is greater than pricier organic options and lots of the poor tend to take that route. I'm not saying our majority is completely blameless but these are factors to consider.
Edit: following your Edit: thank you for the clarification
I... I wasn't dunking of anyone, I'm just curious...
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It's inherited from a historic convention from the UK. Historically the rationale was that the month was more important than the year, so they put it first, although this has no useful consistency or order to it.
Unfortunately, kind of dumb decisions from the past tend to stick and keep existing for an unnecessary long time because people get used to them and then never change them. Popularity or habit can beat reason, objectivity etc...
Damn you're right. In many respects, habit overcomes reason.
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I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense TO ME. Based on what I was taught, regardless of the month, I think what matters first is to know what day of the month you are in, if at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of said month. After you know that, you can find out the month to know where you are in the year.
What is the benefit of doing it the other way around?
EDIT: To avoid misunderstandings:
- I am NOT making fun OF ANYONE.
- I am NOT negatively judging ANYTHING.
- I am totally open to being corrected and LEARN.
- This post is out of pure and honest CURIOSITY.
So PLEASE, don't take it the wrong way.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Historically, I don't know, but personally, I prefer YYYY-MM-DD style dates since they sort naturally in basically all computer software without having to think about it.
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I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense TO ME. Based on what I was taught, regardless of the month, I think what matters first is to know what day of the month you are in, if at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of said month. After you know that, you can find out the month to know where you are in the year.
What is the benefit of doing it the other way around?
EDIT: To avoid misunderstandings:
- I am NOT making fun OF ANYONE.
- I am NOT negatively judging ANYTHING.
- I am totally open to being corrected and LEARN.
- This post is out of pure and honest CURIOSITY.
So PLEASE, don't take it the wrong way.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]There are plenty of other scenarios with a similar pattern of starting at the larger scale and then the specific.
TV shows: Season 2 Episode 9
Theatre: Act one, scene 3
Biblical: Book of John 3:16
Other books: Chapter 9, page 125.
Address: 123 Main St, Apt #2
Phone numbers: country code (area code) locality-individual
I'm not saying either is right or wrong, but there are precedents for either way.
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I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense TO ME. Based on what I was taught, regardless of the month, I think what matters first is to know what day of the month you are in, if at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of said month. After you know that, you can find out the month to know where you are in the year.
What is the benefit of doing it the other way around?
EDIT: To avoid misunderstandings:
- I am NOT making fun OF ANYONE.
- I am NOT negatively judging ANYTHING.
- I am totally open to being corrected and LEARN.
- This post is out of pure and honest CURIOSITY.
So PLEASE, don't take it the wrong way.
Why do you use 60 seconds in a minute and not an even 100? Why use randomly sized calendar months? Why do you say doce instead of diecidos?
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I'm guessing, but it's likely because the spoken form for a date is normally, 'May 31st, 2025" vs "The 31st of May, 2025", hence 05/31/25 v 31/05/25.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Not for me, e.g. "remember, remember the fifth of November" is how we remember the date of Guy Fawkes Night in the UK. "Fourth of July", "14th of February", "First of April", etc.
I guess you mean in the States, but perhaps they say it that way because they write their dates M-D-Y.
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It's inherited from a historic convention from the UK. Historically the rationale was that the month was more important than the year, so they put it first, although this has no useful consistency or order to it.
Unfortunately, kind of dumb decisions from the past tend to stick and keep existing for an unnecessary long time because people get used to them and then never change them. Popularity or habit can beat reason, objectivity etc...
The QWERTY keyboard was designed to speed typing up, not slow it down
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There are plenty of other scenarios with a similar pattern of starting at the larger scale and then the specific.
TV shows: Season 2 Episode 9
Theatre: Act one, scene 3
Biblical: Book of John 3:16
Other books: Chapter 9, page 125.
Address: 123 Main St, Apt #2
Phone numbers: country code (area code) locality-individual
I'm not saying either is right or wrong, but there are precedents for either way.
2-123 Main St, City, Province, Country
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I... I wasn't dunking of anyone, I'm just curious...
Its all good if you weren't others would no doubt show up and begin the dunking so this is more for them than you
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Why do you use 60 seconds in a minute and not an even 100? Why use randomly sized calendar months? Why do you say doce instead of diecidos?
The first two are true that they don't make any sense, but the "Diecidos" is because it sounds horrible.
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The first two are true that they don't make any sense, but the "Diecidos" is because it sounds horrible.
In any case, you understand why conventions exist and persist despite imperfection
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Historically, I don't know, but personally, I prefer YYYY-MM-DD style dates since they sort naturally in basically all computer software without having to think about it.
ISO 8601 rules!
