{"id":64641,"date":"2025-08-13T18:46:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T18:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/64641\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T18:46:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T18:46:16","slug":"older-and-younger-people-read-time-differently-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/64641\/","title":{"rendered":"Older And Younger People Read Time Differently. Here’s How"},"content":{"rendered":"

Turns out everything from your texting style<\/a> to your use of double spaces<\/a> can reveal a lot more about your age than you realise.<\/p>\n

Even calling midday \u201cnoon\u201d<\/a> can be a telltale sign, experts claim. <\/p>\n

But according to Anna Pyshna, spokesperson at online language learning platform Preply<\/a>, that\u2019s not the only time-based language quirk to distinguish different generations. <\/p>\n

\u201cYoung people are telling time differently,\u201d Pyshna shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis move toward directness isn\u2019t unique to telling time; it\u2019s part of a wider linguistic trend among young people.\u201d <\/p>\n

How do different generations tell the time?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take the time 8:45. <\/p>\n

According to Preply\u2019s research, 75% of Baby Boomers (born roughly between 1946 to 1964) and 70% of Gen X (born approximately 1965-1980) will read that as \u201cquarter to nine\u201d. <\/p>\n

But only 57% of Gen Z (born around 1997-2012) and a meagre 10% of Gen Alpha (born about 2012 onwards) will use that term. <\/p>\n

Instead, Pyshna said, most younger people will opt for \u201ceight forty-five.\u201d<\/p>\n

The expert thinks this might have something to do with technology. <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Gen Alpha is growing up fully immersed in technology, they\u2019re accustomed to quickly searching for information online and receiving straightforward, concise answers,\u201d she suggested. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis constant exposure to clear, literal communication shapes them to use more direct language, like saying \u2018eight forty-five\u2019 instead of idiomatic phrases.\u201d <\/p>\n

Additionally, many very young people didn\u2019t grow up reading an analogue clock<\/a>, Preply said. <\/p>\n

That means they\u2019re more used to seeing the figures \u201c8:45\u201d than looking at a clock divided into physical quarters. <\/p>\n

Pyshna thinks it\u2019s part of a broader trend<\/p>\n

According to the language site, it\u2019s not the only way younger people are changing language. <\/p>\n

\u201cGen Alpha often uses English in ways that prioritises clarity over tradition,\u201d Pyshna shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe findings leave us with a choice on whether to embrace the simplification of global English, or deliberately preserve the quirks that make it distinct.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Turns out everything from your texting style to your use of double spaces can reveal a lot more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64642,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[5079,59,34228,102,9021,11851,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-64641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-ageing","tag-gb","tag-generations","tag-health","tag-language","tag-trivia","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}