What’s in a decade?

 Here’s a prediction:  the name by which the past decade will be known is the rather boring “two-thousands.”

Why do I say this?  Because that is the only name for the damn decade that sounds natural.  I didn’t come up with it, but it is the only one that doesn’t cause a brief double-take when I read it or hear it; a short moment of “What does that refer to?”  Not zeros, not aughts, not aughties.  Certainly not the “naughties.” 

It is boring. It is vague. It could refer to a century or a millenium. All that is true. But I make the prediction that it is in fact what people will use. “I was in grad school back in the 2000s.”  “When was the second kid born?  Uh, midway through the 2000s, sometime.” Etcetera. It really is the only shorthand for the first decade of the 20th century that sounds neither cute nor pretentious nor confusing nor fake.

The above, I want to reiterate, is a positive statement. The normative implications are left as an exercise for the reader. 

We now return to your regularly-scheduled blog subjects.

Comments

[ironrailsironweights.wordpress.com]

As far as I can tell, there was no particular name for the 1900-1909 period. If a name wasn't necessary then, one shouldn't be necessary now.

Peter

[James]

Yeah, but what is the name of this decade? 2010-2012 certainly isn't the "teens".