On 5/24/2014 8:00 AM, Davey wrote:
On Sat, 24 May 2014 07:46:05 -0400
S Viemeister wrote:
On 5/24/2014 7:05 AM, Davey wrote:
I lived and worked in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, New York,
Illinois, Minnesota, California, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky,
Maine, Connecticut, Virginia, North and South Carolinas, and maybe
more, and visited many more. In none of them were the words
'fortnight' or 'twice' ever used voluntarily by any American I met,
and if I used them, I got asked what I meant when using them.

Another oddity is the use of 'one-half' instead of 'a half', as in:

English: "He took the corner too fast, and rolled the car one and a
half times".
American: "He took the curve too fast, and rolled the car one and
one half times".
It always sounds odd to the English ear.

I, too, have spent decades in the US, and my experience differs from
yours.

We clearly moved in different circles.

Apparently so.