Karel Numbers
From: | Nik Taylor <yonjuuni@...> |
Date: | Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 8:25 |
Karel is a new conlang I'm working on (or rather, to be more precise, an
old conlang that I'm remodeling). I don't have the numbers themselves,
but I have worked out the system it uses. It's a base-12 system, but
somewhat complicated, incorporating fractions. I'll use English words
to explain.
Up to 35, it's pretty straight-forward. Distinct words for 1-12. "13"
= twelve-one, "24" = two twelve, and so on. 36, however, is
"quarter-gross". 48, likewise, is "quarter-gross twelve" and 60 would
be "quarter-gross two twelve". 72 is "half-gross", thus 108 is
"half-gross quarter-gross".
432 (144*3) is, likewise, "quarter-great-gross" and 864
"half-great-gross". Thus, 1,727 (12^3-1) would be "half-great-gross
quarter-great-gross half-gross quarter-gross two twelve eleven".
5184 (3*12^3) is quarter twelve great-gross (i.e., ¼*12*12^3), 10,368
half twelve-great-gross.
In effect, the only multipliers used are ¼, ½, and 2.
I may introduce a slight complication in that two, as a multiplier, is
distinct from the simple word "two", either due to sound changes or due
to borrowing (as though we were to say "double twelve", "double gross",
etc.), and perhaps ¼ and ½ would be a similar difference.