Vigesimal - Use - in Europe

In Europe

According to German linguist Theo Vennemann, the vigesimal system in Europe is of Basque (Vasconic) origin and spread from Vasconic languages to other European tongues, such as many Celtic languages, French and Danish.

According to Menninger, the vigesimal system originated with the Normans and spread through them to Western Europe, the evidence being that Celtic languages often use vigesimal counting systems. Others believe that this theory is unlikely, however.

• Twenty (vingt) is used as a base number in the French language names of numbers from 70 to 99, except in the French of Belgium, Switzerland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, the Aosta Valley and the Channel Islands. For example, quatre-vingts, the French word for 80, literally means "four twenties", soixante-dix, the word for 70, is literally "sixty-ten", soixante-quinze (75) is literally "sixty-fifteen", quatre-vingt-sept (87) is literally "four-twenties-seven", quatre-vingt-dix (90) is literally "four-twenties-ten", and quatre-vingt-seize (96) is literally "four-twenties-sixteen". However, in the French of Belgium, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, the Aosta Valley, and the Channel Islands, the numbers 70 and 90 generally have the names septante and nonante. So, the year 1996 is "mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-seize" in Parisian French, but it is "mille neuf cent nonante-six" in e.g. Belgian French. In Switzerland, 80 can be quatre-vingts (Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura) or huitante (Vaud, Valais, Fribourg); in the past octante was also in use.
• Twenty (tyve) is used as a base number in the Danish language names of numbers from 50 to 99. For example, tres (short for tresindstyve) means 3 times 20, i.e. 60. For details, see Danish numerals.
• Twenty (ugent) is used as a base number in the Breton language names of numbers from 40 to 49 and from 60 to 99. For example, daou-ugent means 2 times 20, i.e. 40, and triwec'h ha pevar-ugent (literally "three-six and four-twenty") means 3×6 + 4×20, i.e. 98. However, 30 is tregont and not *dek ha ugent ("ten and twenty"), and 50 is hanter-kant ("half-hundred").
• Twenty (ugain) is used as a base number in the Welsh language, although in the latter part of the twentieth century a decimal counting system has come to be preferred (particularly in the South), with the vigesimal system becoming 'traditional' and more popular in North Welsh. Deugain means 2 times 20 i.e. 40, trigain means 3 times 20 i.e. 60. Prior to the currency decimalisation in 1971, papur chwigain (6 times 20 paper) was the nickname for the 10 shilling (= 120 pence) note. A vigesimal system (Yan Tan Tethera) for counting sheep has also been recorded in areas of Britain that today are no longer Celtic-speaking.
• Twenty (fiche) is used in an older counting system in Irish Gaelic, though most people nowadays use a decimal system, and this is what is taught in schools. Thirty is fiche a deich (originally fiche agus deich), literally twenty and ten. Forty is dhá fhichead, literally two twenties (retained in the decimal system as daichead). trí fichid is sixty (three twenties) and ceithre fichid is eighty (literally four twenties).
• Scottish Gaelic traditionally uses a vigesimal system similar to that of traditional Irish, with (fichead) being the word for twenty, deich ar fhichead being 30 (ten over twenty), dà fhichead 40 (two twenties), dà fhichead 's a deich 50 (two twenty and ten), trì fichead 60 (three twenties) and so on up to naoidh fichead 180 (nine twenties). A decimal system is now taught in schools.
• Twenty (njëzet) is used as a base number in the Albanian language. The word for 40 (dyzet) means two times 20 (some Gheg subdialects, however, use 'katërdhetë'). The Arbëreshë in Italy may use 'trizetë' for 60. Formerly, 'katërzetë' was also used for 80.
• Twenty (otsi) is used as a base number in the Georgian language. For example, 31 (otsdatertmeti) literally means, twenty-and-eleven. 67 (samotsdashvidi) is said as, “three-twenty-and-seven”.
• Twenty (tqa) is used as a base number in the Nakh languages.
• Twenty (hogei) is used as a base number in the Basque language for numbers up to 100 (ehun). The words for 40 (berrogei), 60 (hirurogei) and 80 (laurogei) mean "two-score", "three-score" and "four-score", respectively. The number 75 is called hirurogeita hamabost, lit. "three-score-and ten-five". The Basque nationalist Sabino Arana proposed a vigesimal digit system to match the spoken language, and, as an alternative, a reform of the spoken language to make it decimal, but both are mostly forgotten.
• Twenty (dwisti) is used as a base number in the Resian dialect of the Slovenian language in Italy's Resia Valley. 60 is expressed by trïkart dwisti (3×20), 70 by trïkart dwisti nu dësat (3x20 + 10), 80 by štirikrat dwisti (4×20) and 90 by štirikrat dwisti nu dësat (4×20 + 10).
• In the old British currency system (pre-1971), there were 20 shillings (worth 12 pence each) to the pound. Under the decimal system introduced in 1971 (1 pound equals 100 new pence instead of 240 pence in the old system), the shilling coins still in circulation were re-valued at 5 pence (no more were minted and the shilling coin was demonetised in 1990).
• In the imperial weight system there are twenty hundredweight in a ton.
• In English, counting by the score has been used historically, as in the famous opening of the Gettysburg Address "Four score and seven years ago…", meaning eighty-seven (87) years ago. In the Authorised Version of the Bible the term score is used over 130 times although only when prefixed by a number greater than one while a single "score" is always expressed as twenty. The use of the term score to signify multiples of twenty has fallen into disuse in modern English.