What is this decade called? (1 Viewer)

[drobbins]

I was wondering what this decade is called. There are the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but what is this one and the next called? or will we say "just after the turn of the century"?

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I think it's the "oughts".

 

[Greg_S_H]

Yep. Just like Jethro Bodine would say. "Quantum of Solace is the second Daniel Craig double-aught seven spy pitcher of the aughts!"

 

[Citizen87645]

Sometimes I like to call them the "oh-ohs" .

 

[Henry Gale]

Last time around I believe we usually called this one the oughts and the next one the teens.
Although "ought eight" really sounds like a reason you got too drunk.

 

[Francois Caron]

The Null Decade?

 

[drobbins]

Well 8 years into the decade, you would think we would have come up with a good name for it already.

 

[Richard Sharpe]

In the UK, although not universally accepted, 'the noughties' has become more popular. The BBC have started using it recently, which has aided adoption.

2000s - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[andrew markworthy]

I guess that eventually, it will follow the same pattern as previous centuries. Thus, just as we had 'the nineteen hundreds', 'the eighteen hundreds' and so forth, we will have 'the two thousands'.

'The Noughties' is indeed pretty widely used in the UK, but it's still a minority of the population that use this label. I suspect that it will fizzle out because it doesn't sound serious enough.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

The problem there is the ambiguity, since "the nineteen hundreds", for example, is used more-or-less interchangably with "the nineteenth century". (We'll set aside, for the moment, the vexed question of whether 1900 counts as the first year of the new century or the last year of the old. ) At least on my side of the Pond, I suspect "the nineteen hundreds" indicates the century, rather than the decade, most of the time it used.

Regards,

Joe

 

[drobbins]

Lets try some suggestions out. Use a common statement like:Music from the 80s was cool.

Music from the oughts was cool.
Music from the oh-ohs was cool.
Music from the null decade was cool.
These all sound like you are talking about one music group.

Music from the noughties was cool.
This looks like you misspelled naughties.

I agree that the "two thousands" sounds more like a century, but 2000s sounds a little better. Maybe we should just go with the same format as the 80s and use 00s
Music from the 00s was cool.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Actually the "nineteen hundreds" is the "twentieth century", since the "first century" started with year zero.

What might be more interesting is speculating on the adjective that should be coupled with the "oughties". Famous ones from the past were the "gay nineties" and the "roaring twenties".

 

[Henry Gale]

As Dennis has already pointed out, ah, NO.
This seems to trip up a lot of folks.
I know a young man whose teacher (you know, an educator, someone with a bleeping degree) actually told him he was mistaken in stating that the 1800s were the 19th Century.

 

[gene c]

How about the decade of the zero's? Oh well. Just a thought.This decade started out with a bubble (.coms everywhere!

), a scare (Y2K ) and a party (The millennium!

) but it's pretty much been all down hill since. Maybe we should just forget the whole thing and look ahead to the 2010's.

 

[Eddie W.]

What did they call it the last time around (1900-1909)?

I fully expect we won't have a universal title until the next decade when music compilations and VH-1 specials have to come up with something.

 

[Bob Graham]

I dunnow, Gene. The Red Sox win 2 World Series, The Pats 3 Super Bowls, the Celtics their 17th Championship... take away George W Bush and Co (which will happen in January) and the aughts rock!

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

So Bob, you really want to call it the "Bostonian good-for-oughts"?

 

[Bryan X]

How about "the first decade". Sure, there can be some abiguity because every century has a first decade, but I would imagine 99% of the time it would be obvious one was referring to 2001-2010.

 

[gene c]

Ya, being out here on the West Coast I have fond memories of the '70's, and '80's. But, come on. The Red Sox finally win a WS and now the whole town can't seem lose at anything. Enough already! God help us if the Cubs win it this year (HA! What the h*ll am I thinking!).

 

[Scott_J]

No need to wait for the next decade for VH-1 to do their special on the '00s, they already have.