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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