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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.