Numbers and counting

[llama_nom]

--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "Fredrik" <gadrauhts at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "se3k4life101" <se3k4life101@> 
> wrote:
> >
> > How would you count numbers if you were just counting?
> > 
> > Ains, twai, threis, fidwor, etc... ? Or would you just use the neuter:
> > ain, twa, thrija, fidwor...?
> > 
> 
> I would use the neuter forms. I don't know if that is more correct than 
> using masculine or feminine but since it seems as crimean gothic used 
> neuter I think that's the better choice.


Agreed.  Without any direct evidence from the fragments of Biblical
Gothic, the Crimean example seems like a good one to follow.

 
> > Likewise, what if you were counting objects, like in english "object
> > one, object two, object three..."? Would it agree with the noun? I
> > feel like the numbers should be in some kind of singular form rather
> > than as plural adjectives in this context. 
> > 
> I don't know this either and I guess it's not very common to count like 
> this. My guess would be that numbers agree with noun.
> E.g. waurd ain, waurd twa, waurd thrija ktl.


I think here, Gothic would probably use ordinal numbers (fruma, anþar,
þridja, ?*fidworþa - first, second, third, fourth).  This is the
practice used for the names of Paul's epistles:

Du Teimauþaiau ·a· dustodeiþ.
Du Teimauþaiau frumei dustodeiþ.
"The First [Letter] to Timothy begins." (I Timothy begins.)

Du Kaurinþaium anþara dustodeiþ.
"The Second Letter to the Corinthians begins." (II Corinthians begins.)

Du Kaurinþium ·a· ustauh. Du Kaurinþium frume[i] melida ist us
Filippai, swe qeþun sumai; iþ mais þugkeiþ bi silbins apaustaulaus
insahtai melida wisan us Asiai.
"The 1st [Letter] to the Corinthians ends. The First [Letter] to the
Corinthians is written from Philipae, according to some; but it seems
rather according to the apostle's own statement to have been written
from Asia."

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