Date:  Fri, 3 Dec 1993 17:09:31 -0800

From:  Donald Livingston <deljr[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]U.WASHINGTON.EDU>

Subject: Re: Half Past the Hour



For those interested, the Russian version of 3:30 is 'polovina

chetvyortovo', literally "half of the fourth". And 12:30 is 'polovina

pervovo', literally "half of the first". In my teaching experience, most

American students of Russian must make a fairly serious mental effort to

learn this formulation, so I have been much surprised to hear of the

Scottish English equivalent noted by Hans Vappula.



All the best, Don.



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Don Livingston             (Graduate Student)

4500 Whitman Ave. North #2       Dept. Slav. Lang. & Lit., DP-32

Seattle, WA 98103            University of Washington

Phone/Fax (206) 634-1539        Seattle, WA 98195