People living in the 21st century

[Nonverbis]

Fifties people
Sixties people
Seventies people
the Eighties
A 1980s couple

These expressions are from the book Wordbuilder by Guy Wellman.
This is a book published in the previous century.

Could you tell me similar expressions about the year 2000, 2010, 2020?

 

[emsr2d2]

1. Fifties people
2. Sixties people
3. Seventies people
4. the Eighties
5. A 1980s couple

These expressions are from the book Wordbuilder by Guy Wellman.
This is a book published in the previous 20th century.

Could you tell me similar expressions about the year for the following years: 2000, 2010, 2020?

Are you sure you just want words for those years? It strikes me you're trying to talk about decades, so you might want expressions for the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.

Did the book you quoted from give some context for the first three (I've numbered them above, as you should have done)? I find all three unnatural.

 

[probus]

We speak of baby boomers or just boomers, born 1946-1964; then come generation X, or genXers, followed by generation Y, followed in turn by millennials. The only monicker I know of for those born in the early decades of this century is "post-millenials".

I am comfortable with the expressions fifties, sixties, and seventies people.

 

[Tarheel]

Are "fifties people" those who lived during that decade or people who are in their fifties?

 

[Ostap]

It's from here, page 43.

Fifties people wore pointed shoes. Sixties people wore flowers in their hair. Seventies people dyed their hair pink. So what about the Eighties? Is this a fair picture of an Eighties couple or not? If not, why not

Context matters. "Fifties people" apparently means "people in the fifties", or could be replaced by "In the fifties, people (...)".

"A 1980s Couple" -- a supposedly typical example of a couple of the '80s.

"Fifties/sixties/seventies" and "1980s" function as adjectives.

 

[Nonverbis]

Did the book you quoted from give some context for the first three (I've numbered them above, as you should have done)? I find all three unnatural.

The book provided us with:

• Fifties people wore pointed shoes.
• Sixties people wore flowers in their hair.
• Seventies people dayed their hair pink.
• So what about the Eighties?
• Is this a fair picture of an Eighties couple or not?

 

[Nonverbis]

baby boomers or just boomers, born 1946-1964; then come generation X, or genXers, followed by generation Y,

As far as I understand, baby boomers etc. is about the USA only. Secondly, it is about when they were born.

Fifties people is much more universal an expression, it is not about any particular country. And it is about when they lived and acted, not when they were born.

 

[Tarheel]

Context matters.

Thanks for the reminder.

In each case, not only was the behavior mentioned not universal, but it was far from typical. (There were considerably more suicide redheads during the seventies than there were people who dyed their hair pink.)

 

[Nonverbis]

but it was far from typical.

It doesn't matter. It is not a historic book.

It is just expressions, examples how to use the vocabulary in the context. But the context may be imaginary. Like flew to the Moon or something.

 

[Tarheel]

It doesn't matter. It is not a history book.

It is just expressions, examples how to use the vocabulary in the context. But the context may be imaginary. Like taking a trip to the Moon or something.

But we've been to the Moon. (Not me personally.) However, manned travel to Mars is still imaginary.

I was hoping you were going to ask me about suicide redheads.

 

[Ostap]

Fifties people is much more universal an expression, it is not about any particular country.

In the context, it's about people of the Western world at that time, (the Soviet Russians excluded).

In each case, not only was the behavior mentioned not universal, but it was far from typical.

I don't know, so I said "supposedly", since the writer asked the reader to confirm whether it was typical or not.

 

[Nonverbis]

In the context, it's about people of the Western world at that time

Strange conclusion. Fifties people is people who did something in the fifties. Where did that heppen must be known to the speaker and the audience. To my mind, nothing about the Western world is visible here.

 

[Ostap]

Strange conclusion. Fifties people is people who did something in the fifties. Where did that heppen must be known to the speaker and the audience. To my mind, nothing about the Western world is visible here.

So you haven't read your own text then. Not only is it Western-culture-oriented, it's more Britain-oriented.

Btw, fifties people are people who lived in the fifties, whatever they did.

 

[Nonverbis]

Btw, fifties people are people who lived in the fifties, whatever they did.

Ok. In the USSR people neither lived nor did anything in the fifties.

By the way, I'm not concentrating on the pointed shoes or something. You may attribute that to Britain or whatever you like.

I'm interested only in the expressions like 'fifties people'.

• So what about the Eighties?
• Is this a fair picture of an Eighties couple or not?
  
  How much British flavour is there in these expressions?

 

[Ostap]

Ok. In the USSR people neither lived nor did anything in the fifties.

Address that objection to Guy Wellman the writer not me. Western writers at that time were more Eurocentric than now.

I'm interested only in the expressions like 'fifties people'.

And you're resisting to take context into account.

 

[Ostap]

• So what about the Eighties?
• Is this a fair picture of an Eighties couple or not?
  
  How much British flavour is there in these expressions?

Much more than you imagine (it's not "expressions"). Do you even realize what the "this" refers to?