Donate SIGN UP

Telephone address?

Avatar Image
Robert G | 22:44 Fri 13th Jan 2006 | Technology
6 Answers
I read somewhere that a telephone number is not a number. Rather, it is a sequence of single numbers (in which any zeros are considered to be numbers). OK, I'll go along with that. After all, I don''t think of my number as, for example, six hundred and fifty four thousand, three hundred and twenty one (which would be a number).

So why do we persist in referring to a telephone number?

Why don't we call it a telephone address? Or some other logical name?

Your suggestions please.
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 6 of 6rss feed

Best Answer

No best answer has yet been selected by Robert G. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.

For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
We could also have Personal Identification Addresses for our credit cards and National Insurance Addresses (especially since this number also contains letters!).

Or we could leave things as they are...
It both is and isn't a number. Your argument that it isn't a number is, of course valid but equally it could be said that the number six hundred and fifty-four thousand, three hundred and twenty one is being used as a representation for the string of digits 6,5,4,3,2,1. So, depending upon your viewpoint, it either isn't a number or it's a number representing something else.

I assume, by the way, that, like me, you get annoyed whenever you hear someone refer to a 'PIN number'. I find the inherent tautology really irritating. (Personal identification number number is meaningless!).

Oh, hang on a minute. I've just referred to 'inherent tautology' and, given that all tautology has to be inherent to the phrase, that means that I'm guilty of the crime of ....erm, .....tautology! Bum!!

Chris

i'd like see how on earth that pointless rule would be implemented!


0181 8645 2746547 - is a line of numbers! simple.


perhaps we should just use the plural as there is more than one number?


btw - the above is not my own personal telephone numbers...mmm....doesn't sound right does it?


life is complicated enough...

BTW a colloquial US phrase for 'telephone number' is 'digits', as in "she gave me her digits".
Oh Bueunicho I always think that !!!!
+c

1 to 6 of 6rss feed

Do you know the answer?

Telephone address?

Answer Question >>