LL-L "Numerals" 2005.02.14 (07) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 14.FEB.2005 (07) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Ruth & Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Numerals" 2005.02.13 (01) [E]

Dear James & Domhnall,

Subject: LL-L "Numerals"

> > While English "twelve" does represent the same number as the Persian
> > "davozdah" or 2 + 10, the "construction" of the term or word to
represent
> > that number is indeed different...

> Interesting to read your dissertation on counting in 10s vs 12s... IIRC,
the
> Germanic words for 11 and 12 reflect the concept of "one left [over after
> ten]", "two left [over after ten]". This still, to me, reflects a base-10
> mentality, but I have no way of backing this up. :)

May I join this string?

Eeeef so, here's my pennyworth. English seems to reflect quite faithfully
the base ten bias of the Indo-Germanic Peoples, in the use of eleven &
twelve for one reason, & the rest of the teens for another.
'Eleven' means 'left over', after having counted a full pair of hands, of
ten.
'Twelve' means 'two left over' (two a'leaven).
& then 'thirteen' to 'nineteen' reflects a sum over a full pair of hands,
ten.
But this doesn't tell the whole story. Old English also used the 'score' -
twenty, the dozen, and then there was the peculiar usage of counting sums
down from thirty, 29 - 'anes wana thritium', Thirty less one!
Now let's look at the Old Welsh practice of counting the teens up to fifteen
in the expected way, 9 - naw, 10 - deg, 11 - un ar deg, 12 - dau ar deg,
13 - tré ar deg, 14 - pedwar ar deg, 15 - pimtheg, & then working up the
rest of the teens from 15 - pimtheg, 16 - un ar pimtheg, 17 - dau ar pimtheg
&c!

I do think the British Isles have since time immemorial produced more
meteorological & numeral systems than they can consume locally: Gallons,
guineas, perches, two kinds of oz, rods, acres, hides, leagues. Aren't you
chaps glad you changed over to New Pence?

Yrs sweating slowly,
Mark

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