Totally unimportant, but linguistically able umrats might help

[Mike Ruddock]

We bought a new phone set some time ago. This, as is common, has a voice
which recites to you the number of an incoming call. (I am here
referring to a land-line telephone.) The incoming number is also
displayed on the screen.
Our problem is that the disembodied voice recites all the numbers slowly
and comprehensibly except the number zero. This it calls "immer" (or
that is what it sounds like). A typical incoming number will sound like
"immer, seven, three, nine, immer, immer, four ...."

Any suggestions as to why?
Mike Ruddock

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

On Tue, 27 Jul 2021 at 09:25:12, Mike Ruddock

Post by Mike Ruddock
We bought a new phone set some time ago. This, as is common, has a
voice which recites to you the number of an incoming call. (I am here
referring to a land-line telephone.) The incoming number is also
displayed on the screen.
Our problem is that the disembodied voice recites all the numbers
slowly and comprehensibly except the number zero. This it calls "immer"
(or that is what it sounds like). A typical incoming number will sound
like "immer, seven, three, nine, immer, immer, four ...."
Any suggestions as to why?
Mike Ruddock

Just an outside guess: is it set to other than English? Though I can't
think what other language uses "immer" for zero, or that would get
seven, three, nine, and four English-sounding.

If it _does_ have multi-language capability, it might be worth switching
to something else then back to English.

Otherwise, sounds like a valid reason to return it - though "some time
ago" probably doesn't sound good. (Has it always "immer"ed, or only
recently started to do so?)

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

On Tue, 27 Jul 2021 at 14:22:00, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
<***@255soft.uk> wrote (my responses usually follow points raised):
[]

Post by J. P. Gilliver (John)
If it _does_ have multi-language capability, it might be worth
switching to something else then back to English.

[]
I forgot to say: if doing this, either memorise the sequence, or pick a
language you know, or you might be stuck in the other language trying to
figure out how to get back!

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

On Tue, 27 Jul 2021 at 16:08:20, Penny <***@labyrinth.freeuk.com> wrote
(my responses usually follow points raised):
[]

However, I do wish the robot voice which reads out SMS sent to land lines
would say the numbers like that. Instead it says the whole thing as one
number, so you get "From telephone number seven billion three hundred and
ninety million forty nine thousand two hundred and fifty six" which is
_really_ difficult to transcribe.

Especially when the number contains zeroes (as in your example - two, in
which the second is particularly hard to spot - or three, as I assume
there was a leading one too).

[Mike Ruddock]

Post by Mike Ruddock
We bought a new phone set some time ago. This, as is common, has a
voice which recites to you the number of an incoming call. (I am here
referring to a land-line telephone.) The incoming number is also
displayed on the screen.
Our problem is that the disembodied voice recites all the numbers
slowly and comprehensibly except the number zero. This it calls
"immer" (or that is what it sounds like). A typical incoming number
will sound like "immer, seven, three, nine, immer, immer, four ...."
Any suggestions as to why?
Mike Ruddock

Where was the phone set made? I can't think of any common translations
of zero other than variations on nil/nul. The Chinese for nought/zero
seems to be Ling. That's doesn't help either, does it?

The phone set is made by Panasonic so I imagine manufactured in Japan.

Mike Ruddock

[Clive Arthur]

Post by Mike Ruddock

Post by Mike Ruddock
We bought a new phone set some time ago. This, as is common, has a
voice which recites to you the number of an incoming call. (I am here
referring to a land-line telephone.) The incoming number is also
displayed on the screen.
Our problem is that the disembodied voice recites all the numbers
slowly and comprehensibly except the number zero. This it calls
"immer" (or that is what it sounds like). A typical incoming number
will sound like "immer, seven, three, nine, immer, immer, four ...."
Any suggestions as to why?
Mike Ruddock

Where was the phone set made? I can't think of any common translations
of zero other than variations on nil/nul. The Chinese for nought/zero
seems to be Ling. That's doesn't help either, does it?

The phone set is made by Panasonic so I imagine manufactured in Japan.
Mike Ruddock

"Count to nine, and we record and make phone speak engrish!"

"um er - one two three four five six seven eight nine"

[Peter]

Post by Clive Arthur

Post by Mike Ruddock

Post by Mike Ruddock
We bought a new phone set some time ago. This, as is common, has a
voice which recites to you the number of an incoming call. (I am
here referring to a land-line telephone.) The incoming number is
also displayed on the screen.
Our problem is that the disembodied voice recites all the numbers
slowly and comprehensibly except the number zero. This it calls
"immer" (or that is what it sounds like). A typical incoming number
will sound like "immer, seven, three, nine, immer, immer, four ...."
Any suggestions as to why?
Mike Ruddock

Where was the phone set made? I can't think of any common
translations of zero other than variations on nil/nul. The Chinese
for nought/zero seems to be Ling. That's doesn't help either, does it?

The phone set is made by Panasonic so I imagine manufactured in Japan.
Mike Ruddock

"Count to nine, and we record and make phone speak engrish!"
"um er - one two three four five six seven eight nine"

Yes. "Count from nought to nine, and we record and make phone speak
engrish!" would e better.

[Nick Odell]

On Tue, 27 Jul 2021 17:12:21 +0100, Mike Ruddock

Post by Mike Ruddock

Post by Mike Ruddock
We bought a new phone set some time ago. This, as is common, has a
voice which recites to you the number of an incoming call. (I am here
referring to a land-line telephone.) The incoming number is also
displayed on the screen.
Our problem is that the disembodied voice recites all the numbers
slowly and comprehensibly except the number zero. This it calls
"immer" (or that is what it sounds like). A typical incoming number
will sound like "immer, seven, three, nine, immer, immer, four ...."
Any suggestions as to why?
Mike Ruddock

Where was the phone set made? I can't think of any common translations
of zero other than variations on nil/nul. The Chinese for nought/zero
seems to be Ling. That's doesn't help either, does it?

The phone set is made by Panasonic so I imagine manufactured in Japan.

I tried using Google translate with "zero" in the English box and then
clicked through the main languages to see what happened. Not a lot, is
all I can offer. Maybe it would be worth trying immer or ummer in the
other language box and seeing if anything interesting turns up as an
English translation? It might be amusing if we learn that the
confusion has been caused all along because of the annoying little
habit we Brits have of saying "Oh" when we mean "nought" or "zero."

Nick

[Jim Easterbrook]

It might be amusing if we learn that the confusion
has been caused all along because of the annoying little habit we Brits
have of saying "Oh" when we mean "nought" or "zero."

"Oh" is particularly associated with telephone numbers, isn't it? (And
not just in British English - Pennsylvania 6-5-0-0-0.)

As I child I used to roam the shortwave bands in search of anything
exotic. There were many "numbers stations" in those days, and I realised
that "phonetic alphabet" versions of numbers were different. In English
we use "niner" for 9 to avoid confusion with "five", and I assume other
languages do similar things. None of which is relevant, but translating
"zero" or "nought" might not be useful if there's a "phonetic"
alternative unique to that language.

[tiny hadron]

Post by Jim Easterbrook

It might be amusing if we learn that the confusion
has been caused all along because of the annoying little habit we Brits
have of saying "Oh" when we mean "nought" or "zero."

"Oh" is particularly associated with telephone numbers, isn't it? (And
not just in British English - Pennsylvania 6-5-0-0-0.)
As I child I used to roam the shortwave bands in search of anything
exotic. There were many "numbers stations" in those days, and I realised
that "phonetic alphabet" versions of numbers were different. In English
we use "niner" for 9 to avoid confusion with "five", and I assume other
languages do similar things. None of which is relevant, but translating
"zero" or "nought" might not be useful if there's a "phonetic"
alternative unique to that language.

I was reminded of the English Ack- and Pip-Emma for AM and PM. If it is
an M, I suppose that could be introduced in the spoof numbers used by
the naughty people. But I guess you've experienced it appearing for
numbers from known callers. So where's the error arising, telco, ISP,
or the phone itself? Whichever, I think it would be rather odd to be
idiosyncratic to just you. Panasonic Helpline might have something
useful to say. And have you tried the experiment of changing your
phone's language?

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by Mike Ruddock
The phone set is made by Panasonic so I imagine manufactured in Japan.

I once, briefly, worked in a Panasonic factory where just such phones
were manufactured.
Newport South Wales[1].

[1] It ain't there no more, but the Cardiff factory is still operating.

[Penny]

On Tue, 27 Jul 2021 21:00:32 +0100, Nick Odell

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by Mike Ruddock
The phone set is made by Panasonic so I imagine manufactured in Japan.

I once, briefly, worked in a Panasonic factory where just such phones
were manufactured.
Newport South Wales[1].
[1] It ain't there no more, but the Cardiff factory is still operating.

Panasonic Factory in Wales?
Ooops!
When I said I checked all major languages against Google translate....
Sorry, Welshrats!

I think zero is nul (pronounced nill) or dim in Welsh.

[Kate B]

Post by Penny
On Tue, 27 Jul 2021 21:00:32 +0100, Nick Odell

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by Mike Ruddock
The phone set is made by Panasonic so I imagine manufactured in Japan.

I once, briefly, worked in a Panasonic factory where just such phones
were manufactured.
Newport South Wales[1].
[1] It ain't there no more, but the Cardiff factory is still operating.

Panasonic Factory in Wales?
Ooops!
When I said I checked all major languages against Google translate....
Sorry, Welshrats!

I think zero is nul (pronounced nill) or dim in Welsh.

'Nothing' translates as dim byd - which might well sound like 'immer'...

Is this an insidious Cymric plot to take over the world word by word?

[Penny]

On Wed, 28 Jul 2021 12:57:18 +0100, Kate B <***@nospam.demon.co.uk>
scrawled in the dust...

Post by Kate B

Post by Penny
On Tue, 27 Jul 2021 21:00:32 +0100, Nick Odell

Post by Sam Plusnet

Post by Mike Ruddock
The phone set is made by Panasonic so I imagine manufactured in Japan.

I once, briefly, worked in a Panasonic factory where just such phones
were manufactured.
Newport South Wales[1].
[1] It ain't there no more, but the Cardiff factory is still operating.

Panasonic Factory in Wales?
Ooops!
When I said I checked all major languages against Google translate....
Sorry, Welshrats!

I think zero is nul (pronounced nill) or dim in Welsh.

'Nothing' translates as dim byd - which might well sound like 'immer'...

My little Collins says nothing = dim, byd = world; state; life; which
sounds a bit terminal.

Post by Kate B
Is this an insidious Cymric plot to take over the world word by word?

One number at a time?
The place I most often hear numbers is in Lidl, they don't have a till
zero.

[Sid Nuncius]

Post by Penny
The place I most often hear numbers is in Lidl, they don't have a till
zero.

Till Zero - the poignant ruins of a cash register destroyed in a
terrorist attack?

[Mike McMillan]

Post by Sid Nuncius

Post by Penny
The place I most often hear numbers is in Lidl, they don't have a till
zero.

Till Zero - the poignant ruins of a cash register destroyed in a
terrorist attack?

“Yes yer ‘onner, I tell you, this geezer walked into my shop and just
decimalised me till!”

[Clive Arthur]

Post by Sid Nuncius

Post by Penny
The place I most often hear numbers is in Lidl, they don't have a till
zero.

Till Zero - the poignant ruins of a cash register destroyed in a
terrorist attack?

Till zero us do part?

[Sam Plusnet]

Post by Sid Nuncius

Post by Penny
The place I most often hear numbers is in Lidl, they don't have a till
zero.

Till Zero - the poignant ruins of a cash register destroyed in a
terrorist attack?

Archaeologists have excavated "Tell Till Zero" - which seems to have
been a Hittite Shopping Mall destroyed in the aftermath of the Battle of
Kadesh, in the second century BC.

[Chris]

Post by Mike Ruddock
We bought a new phone set some time ago. This, as is common, has a voice
which recites to you the number of an incoming call. (I am here
referring to a land-line telephone.) The incoming number is also
displayed on the screen.
Our problem is that the disembodied voice recites all the numbers slowly
and comprehensibly except the number zero. This it calls "immer" (or
that is what it sounds like). A typical incoming number will sound like
"immer, seven, three, nine, immer, immer, four ...."
Any suggestions as to why?
Mike Ruddock

Where was the phone set made? I can't think of any common translations
of zero other than variations on nil/nul. The Chinese for nought/zero
seems to be Ling. That's doesn't help either, does it?

Indeed zero is Ling. And one you can all remember. Eight is ba. OK it
has a tone as well but it’s not far off saying baaa

Sincerely Chris

Sincerely Chris