By Sara Nathan
Last updated at 11:56 PM on 27th December 2009
As an issue, you could say it’s been approaching since the start of time.
But with January 1 just round the corner, some of us still haven’t decided how to handle what will be one of the first dilemmas of the new year: How to pronounce 2010.
While some may consider ‘twenty-ten’, others are chewing over ‘two thousand and ten’ and even ‘two-o-one-o’.
The subject reared its head on Radio 2 on Boxing Day on a programme being hosted, rather conveniently, by Doctor Who stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate.
Tennant, 38, pronounced the year as ‘twenty ten’ when telling a listener to have a 'wonderful new year'.
Miss Tate, 41, then suggested he’d been taking notice of a BBC edict on the matter.
She joked: ‘Oh twenty-ten – get you! Who’s been reading the compliance rules!’
Tennant told their guest, fellow Doctor Who star Bernard Cribbins: ‘We’re supposed to say twenty-ten.’
But Cribbins said he believed most elderly people would prefer to say two thousand and ten.
Miss Tate laughed: ‘You’re not allowed to say two thousand and ten.’ Referring to the the producers, she added: ‘The people in there are exploding!’
The BBC has a unit which decides on uniform pronunciation. However, the BBC insists there has been no ruling on 2010.
A spokesman said: ‘Prior to the show, it was decided “twenty ten” was the easiest way to pronounce the year. It was not breaking any rules to say it in an alternative way.’
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BBC﹕應念twenty-ten 「2010年」英文讀法紛紜
(明報)2009年12月30日 星期三 05:10
【明報專訊】後天便是2010年，到底「2010年」的英文該怎樣念才對呢？有人認為應念作twenty-ten，但有人則念成two thousand and ten，甚至有人念two-o-one-o。英國 廣播公司（BBC）的電台節目，近日亦討論這個問題，他們最後傾向念作「twenty-ten」。
如何念2010年這個令人困擾的問題，日前成了BBC電台節目的話題。這個節目由英國科幻劇集《Doctor Who》演員坦南特（David Tennant）與林泰特（Catherine Tate）主持。
老一輩念two thousand and ten
坦南特在節目中將2010年念成twenty-ten，並祝聽眾新年如意。泰特接著說﹕「twenty-ten……原來如此！看來你很遵守BBC的發音守則。」然後，坦南特向節目嘉賓克里賓斯（Bernard Cribbins）說：「我們認為應念twenty-ten。」
不過，克里賓斯認為，老一輩的人大多傾向念成two thousand and ten。泰特說：「你不能念成two thousand and ten……BBC發音部門的人會氣炸的。」
BBC設部門 決定統一念法
BBC設有一個部門，決定各節目應採用的統一發音。BBC表示，該部門尚未決定2010年的念法。BBC發言人說：「節目錄製之前，大家一致認為twenty-ten是最容易發音的念法，但用其他方式來念也不算違規。」
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