Re: Numbers
| From: | DOUGLAS KOLLER <laokou@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Sunday, January 16, 2000, 16:57 |
|---|
>ObConLang:
> > > How do you all handle numbers, anyways? Like saying "I have 5
things"
> > >or whatever? Would it be considered an adjective, or article of some
> > >sort?
Cardinal numbers in my lang, Géarthnuns, have two forms: a defective form
which is used solely for counting and in mathematical expressions.
1 sír
2 punge
3 tou
4 sebut
5 palav
6 rhal
7 zhöshe
8 bés
9 ngareth
10 mnö
2+2=4 Punge zhö punge la sebut nöi.
5-3=2 Palav dau tou la punge nöi.
8x2=16 Bés shte punge la mnö rhal nöi.
18÷2=9 Mnö bés vain punge la ngareth nöi.
and the more common adjectival form which agrees with the noun it modifies
in declension, number, and case.
a book sí gefröls sírel (nom. sing) sí gefrölsít sírelít (acc.
sing.) etc.
two books síl gefrölsízh pungelízh (nom. dual) síl gefrölsím pungelím
(acc. dual) etc.
three books sík gefrölsíp toulíp (nom. pl.) sík gefrölsích toulích (acc.
pl.) etc.
Ordinals are adjectives formed by adding a suffix.
the first book chí gefröls sírfíl
the second book chí gefröls pungefíl
the third book chí gefröls toufíl
The system is, yawn, base ten, but each power of ten has its own word
without starting over (i.e. combinations like "ten thousand" or the Chinese
"one hundred ten thousands" [for 'a million'] do not exist).
10 mnö
100 kashad
1,000 pér
10,000 íaza
100,000 ö
1,000,000 ngefü
10,000,000 gate
100,000,000 lam
1,000,000,000 göi
10,000,000,000 erho-u
100,000,000,000 au
1,000,000,000,000 rhomí
10,000,000,000,000 azve
100,000,000,000,000 tükör
1,000,000,000,000,000 ouzçi
So, for example: 634,782,513 = (inhale)
rhallam tougate sebutngefü zhösheö bésíaza pungepér palavkashad mnö tou
1999= pér ngarethkashad ngarethmnö ngareth
Apologies to those for whom this is rehash.
Kou