Re: Numbers from 1-10

On Sun, 31 Aug 2003, Doug Dee wrote:

> In a message dated 8/31/2003 6:15:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> endipatterson@YAHOO.COM writes:
>
>
> >I suspect that proto-Germanic might have had [a base 12 system] because >
> eleven and
> >twelve don't end in -teen.
>
>
> I suspect not.  I seem to recall reading somewhere that the origin of
> "twelve" was a compound meaning something like "two-left" i.e., "a nice round group
> of ten with two spares left over," and that the etymology of "eleven" was
> similar.  That is, both words reflect a base-10 system, just as "thirteen" does.
Yep, eleven is 'one left over' and twelve is 'two left over'. If nothing
else suggested base tenness, the tw- in two, twelve and twenty does :)
Interesting how endleofan (eleven) and twaleofan compressed in rather
different ways, though based on the end- bit of endleofan, I would hazard
a guess that at least that one wasn't felt as a compound any more by OE
times.

OTOH, I think 'hundred' used to be applicable to anything b/n 100 and 120,
hence the English fakemeasurement called the hundredweight (I think it's
120 pounds, but for all I know it could've been 120 stone). Of course,
Americans decided to confuse the Brits and made it 100 of whatever it was,
which makes much more sense. In Canada, is/was a hundredweight 100 or 120
pounds?

/me is glad Australia uses real measurements.

--
Tristan                  <kesuari@...>

Yesterday I was a dog. Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still
be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement.
                -- Snoopy

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