Re: Numbers ancient & modern (was: Unilang report)

In a message dated 5/22/01 6:58:54 PM, cowan@MERCURY.CCIL.ORG writes:

<< In Larry Niven's sf novel _Ringworld_, the quite striking phrase
"half a thousand years" is found. >>

    This all gives me an idea for a type of numbering system.  Say that a
culture has a "normal" numbering system (names for 0-9, derived for
10-infinity), but it changes, so that rather than calling numbers by name,
you always refer to them by the nearest "power number".  For example: 2 is no
longer "two", but rather, "a fifth of ten", or "eight from ten", something
like that.  50 is "half a hundred", 500 is "half a thousand", 99 is "one
hundred but one", et cetera.  It'd make grocery shopping interesting.
    "Have you seen the coupons today?"  "I know!  Imagine!  Six from ten cans
of Del Monte green beans for for only seven from ten dollars and one hundred
but two cents!"

-David

Replies