A third of a century

[Bert45]

Have you noticed how Spanish websites give approximate dates as the first or second third of a century or the last third of a century? For example:
Durante el Primer Tercio del Siglo XX; durante las guerras de finales del siglo XV y primer tercio del XVI; escuela madrileña del primer tercio del siglo XVII; correspondencia granadina enviada a Tunez en el ultimo tercio del s. XV; ULTIMO TERCIO SIGLO XIX,MAPA DE EUROPA,EDITOR MIGUEL GRILO; El último tercio del siglo: 1968-1998; construido en el segundo tercio del siglo XIII; La pintura madrileña del segundo tercio del siglo XVIII.
In Britain, we refer to the first or second half of a century, or, if more accuracy is available, the first, second, third or fourth quarter of a century.
I thought this difference in usage was interesting enough to post here. I hope that some of you will agree.

 

[emmanuel]

Have you noticed how Spanish websites give approximate dates as the first or second third of a century or the last third of a century? For example:
Durante el Primer Tercio del Siglo XX; durante las guerras de finales del siglo XV y primer tercio del XVI; escuela madrileña del primer tercio del siglo XVII; correspondencia granadina enviada a Tunez en el ultimo tercio del s. XV; ULTIMO TERCIO SIGLO XIX,MAPA DE EUROPA,EDITOR MIGUEL GRILO; El último tercio del siglo: 1968-1998; construido en el segundo tercio del siglo XIII; La pintura madrileña del segundo tercio del siglo XVIII.
In Britain, we refer to the first or second half of a century, or, if more accuracy is available, the first, second, third or fourth quarter of a century.
I thought this difference in usage was interesting enough to post here. I hope that some of you will agree.

Using quarters sounds more inutitive than thirds, seems to me.

 

[Bert45]

Using quarters sounds more inutitive than thirds, seems to me.
Not to the Spanish evidently.

 

[lalaone]

Do you think it could have anything related to the understanding that Jesus died at age 33 - a third of a century?

Sorry to be speculative...but you make an interesting observation. I do not recall it from other travels. When Spaniards asked how long I had taken to walk the Camino Frances, and I answered 33 days - with no conscious idea the importance of that number - I was told multiple times that the number was important and special, from pilgrims to airport officials, for that Biblical reason.

 

[CWBuff]

Considering that the age of Jesus at the time of his death is questionable (yes we all know "the myth") ...well... who am I to question the importance some folks attach to that number...

 

[lalaone]

Considering that the age of Jesus at the time of his death is questionable (yes we all know "the myth") ...well... who am I to question the importance some folks attach to that number...

Fair, fair. It's just the only anomaly I could think of personally, as you usually see centuries marked by decades, quarters or halves, like others observed.

 

[Kathor1]

The first question to ask is whether it is more common in Spanish than in English or other languages to speak of the third of a century, and that this is indeed something unusual.

A simple search in Google gives me:
- New York Times (newspaper article): The Last Third of the Century
- Warburg Iconographic Database: Atsa, Ateu (last third of the 19th century), i.e. date of a piece of art
- Federal Reserve Bank: The Last Third of the 20th Century: Challenges to the Insurance Industry
- Royal Museum: ... from the last third of the 5th century until the beginning of the 8th century ...
- Auction house: portrait, last third of the 19th century; lidded tankard, last third of the 17th century; Chinese painting, last third of the nineteenth century
- ResearchGate: Discoveries from the second half or the last third of the 5th century until the first two thirds of the 6th century.

Approximately 30 years is a third of a century, just as approximately 50 years is half a century. Thirds may be "harder" to work out than halves and quarters - perhaps that's why we notice it more when we see it in writing. Or use it less.

 

[JerryStroebele]

The ancient Romans did not have days of the month on their calendars. The used a series of ides. Buen Camino

 

[CWBuff]

@JerryStroebele - is that why they didn't walk the Camino in March?

 

[William Garza]

3 generations?
Each 3d a generation
Suprised "science" fwiw...hasnt figured that out since "science" seems to have answers for everything

 

[C clearly]

3 generations?
Each 3d a generation
Suprised "science" fwiw...hasnt figured that out since "science" seems to have answers for everything

I have no idea what you are saying about generations and 3's. However, I am compelled to point out that no scientist would claim that science has answers for everything. The only people who say that seem to be anti-science.

 

[Bert45]

3 generations?
Each 3d a generation
Suprised "science" fwiw...hasnt figured that out since "science" seems to have answers for everything

No 'suprises' there. Figured what out? What point were you trying to make?