Abstract
The Dutch method of reading the clock differs strikingly from the English. The principal reason for this is the fact that the half hour is treated as just as important a point in time as the hour itself: whereas in English the minutes are reckoned with relation to the hour, in Dutch they are reckoned with relation to both the hour and the half hour.*
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Reference
An interesting concrete example of this habit is the fact that in the Netherlands the clocks in churches and town halls strike the hour, e.g. 5, both at the half-hour (4:30) and at the hour (5:00).
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1974 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shetter, W.Z. (1974). Telling time. In: Introduction to Dutch. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-9224-8_27
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-9224-8_27
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-011-8495-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-9224-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive