Counting Methods

Hey, this might be an easy question, but I just asked a guy who works for the IRS and he didn’t know.

Everyone seems to know (and use) a shorthand counting method that involves making four marks and then crossing them out with a fifth. This, naturally, makes it easy to count up by fives at the end and then add any remainder. My questions are as follows:

**What is this shorthand method called? Why does it seem that everyone does it unconsciously (I don’t remember it being taught to ME)? Are there any other common counting shorthands, and what are they called? **

I realize that this is trivia beyond trivia, but that’s why we’re here, right? :slight_smile:

Tally marks.

The process of counting with tally marks is called tallying.

Yep, that was an easy answer. But it is funny that the IRS guy didn’t know what it was called. I shall return to lurking.

Not exactly a shorthand method, but a lot of people tend to count things in pairs for speed.

My colleagues who have spent time working with the IRS would not find it the least bit strange.

Onetherum, twotherum, cockerum, quitherum, shitherum, shatherum, wineberry, wagtail, taradiddle, den.

Yan, tan, eddero, peddero, jig…

Okay, I’ll bite Malacandra… what the 'eck is all 'at above? :confused:

Something to do with a traditional way of counting sheep; more details here:
http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/animal/animals.htm

It’s shown up in any number of cartoons. We probably all picked it up there.

Also, I just thought of jail scenes, with the unhappy lifer and all his marks on the wall… that’s probably where we’ve seen it the most.

Monkey see, monkey do.

In addition to TV, I bet we picked it up from the adults around us – I know I did from my parents.

Huh. I remember being taught in school. We practiced counting things using the method. It was supposed to be a faster way of counting than writing down all the numbers. I’m 25, so this would have been late 80s probably.

I also specifically remember being taught this in school. It was in second grade, so that would be 1991 or 1992. We were given a homework assignment that involved going home and counting up various househould items (shoes, belts, etc.) with tally marks.

I don’t know, I was never taught the I, II, III, IIII, IIII method, so I naturally just did it like this in groups of 5 strikes each grouped in 4 or 5 sets:

IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII
IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII

Striking out seems unnatural to me.

I thought they were called hash marks.