Re: Numbers (was: Conlang-to-conlang translation project)

On Sat, 8 May 1999 20:48:34 +0100 Irina Rempt <ira@...>
writes:
>On Sat, 8 May 1999, Gary Shannon wrote:
>> 5 -- hand (five fingers)
>I don't know where the other Valdyan numbers come from (except the
>ones that are dual or plural forms of others) but _ran_ "five" is
>certainly derived from _rain_ "hand". Also the dual: _irain_ "(both)
>hands", _iran_ "ten".
>
>   Irina
Well, the numbers in Rokbeigalmki are some of the most unoriginal parts
of the language, along with body parts....so most of them may look
familiar:

0 meifi / 1 khada / 2 du / 3 thara / 4 ribu / 5 khamsa
6 sejo / 7 shaastuh / 8 tei / 9 niiyuh / 10 drou

Although within the language itself there are some interconnections:

0 meifi [mejPi] is related to _mepthii_ [mEpTaj] "white" and _me:fihs_
[mE:PIs] "moon", as part of an "emptyness/whiteness" concept...i think
the word "empty" is actually where i got the idea for the word from in
the first place.

1, 2, and 3 all have derivatives based on the verb _mwe_ [mwE], "move":

1 khada >> _kadme_ [kadmE] "proceed"
2 du >> _dume_ [dumE] "follow"
3 thara >> _tarme_ [tarmE] "multiply"

_kadme_ and _dume_ are used in connotations of space (in front of,
behind) and time (before, after), as both adjectives and adverbs
depending on the context.  For instance, a Rokbeigalmki-themed poem
(although it itself is in English) i wrote is titled:

_sudkadme nga'fiizhagt-a ya'stiigiyus_
[sud'kadmE n"a 'PajZagt?a ja 'stajgijus]
(adj)precede from'battle(time)-the by'Stiigiyus

"Preceding the Time of Battle, by Stiigiyus"

Here it's in the adjective form, since it's describing the poem, and not
an action.

In Rokbeigalmki differences in place, time, quality, etc. are described
as _nga'_ [n"a] "from".

10 drou [dr&w] is related to the word _droi_ [drOj], "finger".


-Stephen (Steg)
 _ei! hashe:m uhz tzii dagair, azii-dathab i azii'nyih-telos..._

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