Re: specialized numbers

Am 19.12.01 bronto@POBOX.COM yscrifef:
>
>Do any of you have two or more sets of numbers, used in different
>contexts?  I have in mind the Japanese native series (hi hu mi yo)
>beside the Chinese imports (iti ni san si), and the Lincolnshire Celtic
>sheep-counting doggerel (yan tan tethera pethera pimp).
Kerno has several sets of numbers. The usual is the ancient
vigesimal system:

yen, daw, traw, padguar, pymp, seck, sect,  oeck, naw, deck,
yendeck, dawdeck, trawdeck, cueduartheck, cuyntheck, sedgthack,
senthack, oentheck, nawntheck, wygaint; yeniwygaint, dawiwygaint,
etc.; 40 = davygaint; 60 = travygaint; 80 = padgrigaint; 100 =
cent (or cuedndgrigaint). There are irregularities, of course,
such as base 15 varieties for 16-19, 36-39,  etc.

During the centuries of Kemrese linguistic hegemony, educators
and Government tried to foist a decimal system on the language:

yen - deck as above. 11 = yendeg, 12 = dewdeg, 13 = trewdeg,
14 = catheordeg, 15 = quendeg,  16 = seddeg, 17 = sethedeg,
18 = oethedeg, 19 = noedeg, 20 = gouent; gouent-i-yen, etc.

Clearly, 11-15 are based on Brithenig patterns. 16-19 deviate
from Brithenig (which itself goes all base fifteen on us). The
decimal system is never seen anymore.

Hoity toity prose uses what for everyone else are the
distributive numerals:

uno, bino, trino, cuederno, cueno, senno, setheno, oeckeno,
nono, deno, yendeno, dewdeno, trewdeno,  cueduardeno, cuydndeno,
sedgeno, sendeno, oeckdeno, nawndeno, wyggeno,  yeniwyggeno, etc.

When counting out pips on cards, dominos or dice; you use these
numerals:

unea,  binea, terdnea, cuarnea, cinckea, sestea,  seyttea,
oyttea, nonea, dockea, ounzea, douzea.

An odd numeral system is the so called "Numereirs lor Giganz",
or Giants' Numerary. In southern and eastern Kemrese folk
literature, Giants speak English (after a fashion, and for
obvious reasons). Those that can count beyond "one" (or _to_
one, for that matter) count thus:

Oue, touey, threy, pouer, fife, selccan, sevyn, exten, nexen,
tyne, ethelenlevene, tweleven, threllevyn, forenten, fifenten,
selckenten, senenten, exentyne, nexentyne, deccantyne.

These are the numerals that can be used as _cardinals_; ordinals,
distributives, numeric adverbs, military numeric adverbs and
generic rank adverbs also exist.

Padraic.
--
Bethes gwaz vaz ha leal.