Letter: Sustaining the Millennium

Sir: One aspect of the approaching new millennium that has not been aired is the question of how dates in the new era should be referred to in speech.

"Two thousand and one" is long-winded enough, but it will get worse when we reach (say) 2027. What happened last time around? The Battle of Hastings was fought on that memorable date, "ten sixty-six".

Should we not therefore speak of "twenty-oh-one"? Admittedly "twenty hundred" will initially sound rather strange. Perhaps the Millennium Commission can manage to reach a decision on this one at least.

JOHN SMURTHWAITE

Leeds