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I came across this phrase,

Plato’s Academy, founded in the 380s, was the ultimate ancestor of the modern university (hence the English term academic).

(Britannica)

Could you tell me how to read "380s"?

Justin
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gyone
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  • What year is it? 1380s? – NVZ Apr 03 '22 at 02:38
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    It was in the 4th century AD. Sometime between 380 and 389. – Dan Bron Apr 03 '22 at 02:39
  • Is there some reason why you are not interpreting it as Dan says? Maybe it's something too modern for a 4th century founding? What institution is being described? If so, a longer quote would help. It could be a typo for '30s or '80s . – Pete Apr 03 '22 at 02:52
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    Do you mean how would that be spoken out loud? That’s a good question! My guess would be “three eighties” but I don’t think that I’ve ever heard something like that before. – toothpanda Apr 03 '22 at 04:11
  • thanks.

    the original phrase reads

    "Plato’s Academy, founded in the 380s, was the ultimate ancestor of the modern university (hence the English term academic)" [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Plato]

    and I was wondering how I should read it out loud.

     – gyone Apr 03 '22 at 05:19
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    I would speak “the three eighties” because I am accustomed to usage such as “the nineteen thirties”. – Anton Apr 03 '22 at 06:55
  • I'd certainly suppose "the three eighties", but it's not likely to come up a lot, and so it doesn't matter if you say "three hundred and eighties" instead. Most people don't talk about decades between 1000 BCE and 1000 CE very often: at the time they didn't use that sort of date, and wouldn't have used modern English anyway. – Stuart F Apr 03 '22 at 22:10
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    @DanBron No, not AD; it was BC. – tchrist May 05 '23 at 12:40

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There's no special rule for three-digit years. Just as the 1980s are "the nineteen eighties," the 980s are "the nine eighties."

alphabet
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  • Yes, and these ones ran the opposite direction: the three-eighties ran from three eighty-nine up to three eighty. One year later it was three seventy-nine. – tchrist May 05 '23 at 12:41