Philip Newton wrote:
> On 5/21/07, R A Brown <ray@...> wrote:
>
>> "Two" is also a bit problematic. The ancient word was duó or duô (δυό,
>> δυώ) according to dialect. In the earliest Greek it was declined with
>> dual endings, but even from Homeric times there was a tendency towards
>> making the word indeclinable. In Classical Attic and the Koine it was
>> indeclinable δυό.
>
> Are you sure? I thought it was paroxytone, i.e. δύο (dúo).
You're right - it's paroxytone δύο (dúo) - mea culpa!
>
>> 6 eksá [ancient (h)eks is normally indeclinable, but a rare dative
>> plural _eksási_ is attested]
>
> Oxytone?
_eksási_ is given as paroxytone
>> 8 oktå [the ancient word is oktô, but this is rarely compounded. Nearly
>> all compounds begin okta-, including _oktápous_ "octopus"; our English
>> form is derived from the Latinized form of the Greek]
>
>
> This came out looking like a-ring, though I've seen odd characters in
> e-mail messages from you before, where my browser (or more likely
> Gmail) second-guessed the character set and thought it was Latin-2 or
> something else). I presume you meant oktá with acute.
I did mean that - but I think the fault was at my end.
>> 100 = ekató (εκατό <-- AG εκατόν)
>
> Not something with ekatont- such as ekatónto? I thought the combining
> form usually had -nt- in it (e.g. ISTR a word εκατοντάρχης
> _(h)ekatontárxès_).
Ah - yes, you're right. The combining form is εκατοντα-, so I guess I'd
better have _ekatónta_ (εκατόντα).
>> 1000 = xília (AG χίλια - neuter plural)
>> 10000 = múria (μύρια)
>
> And I wonder whether these should take the "regular" adjective ending
> -o, rather than continuing a plural. But I'm not sure about this
Umm - on checking, I find that the combining form of 10000 is indeed
μυριο-, but with 1000 both χιλια- and χιλιο- were used. In English we
'chiliahedron' and 'myriapod'; tho I notice the ancient Greek for the
latter is μυριόπους - how confusing!
I need to think on this.
--
Ray
==================================
ray@carolandray.plus.com
http://www.carolandray.plus.com
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Nid rhy hen neb i ddysgu.
There's none too old to learn.
[WELSH PROVERB]