THE change will definitely happen in 2010. Or 2011. Unless it is 2013. Or maybe 2020.

Each marks the year, in the contrasting opinions of scientists, lexicographers, broadcasters and linguists, when English speakers will finally decide en masse that — when it comes to pronunciation — millennial fever cannot continue forever.

It was all very well, enthralled by the approach of a day that dawns only once every thousand years, for the late 20th-century world to speak of life in the year “two thousand”.

When 2000 arrived, the world duly partied and 12 months later, perhaps influenced by Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, celebrated the arrival of “two thousand and one”, but by 2002 speakers of English should have been living in “twenty oh two”.

To the frustration of some academics, however, it seems that when naming years the world has become stubbornly determined to ignore a system that worked perfectly well for centuries.

Over the pronunciation of past dates, there is consensus. The Battle of Trafalgar was fought in “eighteen oh five" (1805) and Einstein formulated his theory of relativity in “nineteen oh five” (1905).

Logically, then, we are living in “twenty oh five” (2005). Stop 100 people in the street, however, and they will all say “two thousand and five”. To persist with “two thousand and . . . ” not only breaks with tradition but also wastes time.

Since 2000 it has required an extra syllable to name each year “two thousand and . . .” as opposed to “twenty oh . . .”. From 2010, if we persist, it will cost us an extra two syllables. By 2110 future English speakers would be using an extra four syllables to say “two thousand, one hundred and ten” instead of “twenty-one ten”.

Such a scenario is unthinkable, but if a change is inevitable then when is it going to happen? The BBC, which might have been expected to take a lead on the issue, says that it has issued no guidance to its staff. Asked to gaze into a crystal ball, the BBC Pronunciation Unit suggested that the most likely year for a switch was 2010.

David Crystal, author of the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language, believes that the change will be heard in 2011. He rules out past usage as any guide to the future, explaining that “logic never enters into language matters”.

“Rhythm counts for everything in something like this,” he said. “The closer you get to the traditional heartbeat of English rhythm, the more people subconsciously go for it.”

Thus “two thousand and five” beats “twenty oh five” hands down, he explained, because the former sounds like a train trundling gently over railway tracks while the alternative is “much more abrupt”.

For Professor Crystal, the flow of “two thousand and ten” beats “twenty ten”, but “two thousand and eleven” loses out to “twenty eleven”. If not 2011, then what about 2012? An event of international significance might be enough to tip the scales and the team behind London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics have already labelled that year “twenty twelve”.

For Ian Brookes, editor-in-chief of Chambers Dictionary, the Olympics will come a year too soon. He thinks the change will come in 2013.

If it still reigns supreme, the final hurdle for “two thousand and . . .” to cross would arrive in 2020. If people can have “twenty-twenty” vision, then surely they should also live in the year “twenty twenty”.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Sarah Brown says 'no thanks' to veal at G8 - twice
• Stockton-on-Tees is obesity capital of Britain
• Stores blame poor sales on Murray factor