How long before the phrases clockwise and counterclockwise will disappear?

Analog clocks and watches are still in common enough use, that I think the terms will persevere—especially given the fact that they are used as references for other activities (such as the diagrams listing information for pieces of are at the Museum of Modern Art when we visited yesterday would say, “clockwise from left”, for example). You have grandchildren that are fairly young, don’t you? Aren’t kids still taught how to tell time?

A lot of mechanical tools use clockwise and counterclockwise. Plus pilots use clock points too.

Several of my clocks have hands that go around. So does my watch. Like many other things that have lost their reference points in our society (such as “dialing” a phone number), it has acquired a literal sense that’s drifted away from its origins, and it will probably continue to be a very useful concept.

Should we say “deosil” and “widdershins” instead?

Like others have mentioned, analog clocks are alive and kicking. In fact, there are digital clocks (on smart phones’ locks screens, etc) that are designed to look like an analog clock.
Those terms might disappear when all of those outdated computer icons disappear, like the old-fashioned wired handset for phone, floppy disk for save, those ridiculous clipboard icons, etc.

I know folks in their twenties who can’t read an analog clock. I doubt the phrases will disappear, but the etymology may fade away such that those in the future will have to research the history of the phrases by whatever digital means available to them.

@tom_g, and how about all those icons that are a variant of this?

@tom_g “alive and kicking” …… Shouldn’t that be alive and ticking?

What should we say instead? The-way-that-goes-right-from-a-reference-point and the-way-that-goes-left-from-a-reference-point?
This is also bad news for the phrase “my phone is ringing”. I guess we’ll have to start saying “my phone is playing a snippet of music to alert me of an incoming call”.
P.S. analog clocks rule.

Besides, when all the stored-energy supplies are exhausted and the power runs out (or is reserved for much more important things than driving digital clocks) and we’re back to making sundials, the hour indicator is still going to run clockwise.

The terms are used in observational astronomy also.

if you stare down at the earth from your little perch near the North star, for example, the earth is turning in a counter-clockwise manner. From the same perch, the earth is revolving around the sun in the same direction.

My grandsons, age 3 and 5 tell time by looking at a digital clock. When I showed them an analog clock, they could hardly believe it was a different way of telling the time.

@bossob I know folks in their twenties who can’t read an analog clock

Seriously?

I was surprised to find a smart nine-year-old acquaintance cannot read an analog clock.

But twenty-somethings?

I don’t think so because other things are shaped circular. Besides watches are becoming stylish now.

@Jeruba …when all the stored-energy supplies are exhausted and the power runs out…

…the 10,000 Year Clock will still be running (if all goes as planned).

@Jeruba You just wanted to use the word “widdershins!”

I think digital clocks are the ones that are disappearing… I would have seriously considered this question in the 80s, but now? I can’t remember the last time I saw a wall clock that wasn’t analog, Probably kids will grow up telling time from their cell phones instead of wearing watches at all, but analog clocks are here to stay, at least for the forseeable future.

PS, @YARNLADY, I hope you took the opportunity to teach them how to read a clock… I think this is one of those things (like getting right and left down) that if one doesn’t learn early, never really comes naturally. They would benefit from being shown, and probably always think of you when they read the time. :)

jaytkay Seriously. One of them comes to mind who couldn’t tie her shoes, either. She was a velcro kinda girl.

@YARNLADY – When my son was about 4 or 5, He had a math game for the computer that had a time-teaching module, and there were teaching watches. Oh – they still make them and a couple other brands with teaching watches came up in my search, too. There’s a gift idea for the next occasion for your older grandson.

My alarm clock is the only digital clock there is and that is only because my vision is worst in the dark. Every other clock in my home is analog and watch. I’ve had relatives who all went digital and went back to analog. Its easier to count time difference when you have physical numbers facing you.

For example if I have and appointment at 1 pm and it is 9:30 am I can see instantly that I have 3hrs and 30 minutes. Where as with a digital, you have to do the math in your head. That is easy enough but if involves more minutes and other events following, than the math becomes harder without pen and paper.

So to answer your question. I doubt it will disappear.

I think the terms will become meaningless as time goes on. Of course there are analog clocks still around but they are disappearing in daily use. It won’t happen overnight though.

About twenty minutes, I should think.

@janbb, I don’t get to say it very often. Or “deosil” either. Nobody else picked up on them, though. I’m surprised.

This is clever well thought out question. I honestly don’t think the phrase will ever lose it’s meaning though. Even some of the digital clocks and watches have the hour and minute hands for retro’s sake.

I’m more concerned about the meaning of different kinds of punctuation, and people’s ability to identify run-on sentences. Just take a look at some of the recent questions in Social.

Many of my undergrads wore wristwatches, for what it is worth…

We call it anti-clockwise over here..nowt else to add.

But I think the analog clock helps us to exercise our brain so I don’t think it should dissapear really

^^^In what way?

@gailcalled There is nothing to teach someone how to read a digital clock.

Sure there is, @flo. The numbers aren’t self-explanatory. You have to learn the significance of the colon, for example, and how the number of minutes in an hour relates to the fractions we use interchangeably. Don’t you say “It’s half past six” or “It’s ten minutes to three” when you read 6:30 or 2:50? Doesn’t a person have to learn that at 12:58 it’s almost one o’clock?

I stand corrected @Jeruba.

But with the analog, which is the context, there is more to learn. You can’t even read it for a blind person for example, esp. one without the digits.

Digital is easier to read in a literal sense—can’t disagree with that. I wonder if analog isn’t more intuitive, though, being less abstract. You can see the relationship of minutes to hours much better, for the same reason that pie charts are the best way to illustrate some concepts. You could say that an analog clock is an hour-by-hour pie chart of time.

I agree.

Anyway, my statement should have been. There is nothing to teach someone who knows analog, how to read a digital clock, but the reverse is not true.