Arabic-L:LING:ishmi3na sittiin?

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Thu 07 Jul 2010
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject: ishmi3na sittiin?

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1)
Date: 07 Jul 2010
From: Jan Juchelka <janjj at getmail.no>
Subject: ishmi3na sittiin?

In arabic the number 60 is used as an intensifier (Like: (la mu’axza) ibn sittiin kalb and rouh fi sittiin dahya).
 
Other numbers seem also to be used like ‘ultillak miit marra and ma3a alf(een) salaama. The use of 100/1000 and even 2000 seems for me somehow logic as an exaggeration. But I wonder why exactly 60, and not any other numbers like foe example 50 or 60 (although it seems 70 is used to intensify 60: sittiin fi sab3iin)has become an intensifier.
 
Is there any special meaning behind the number 60 that could explain why it is used this way?
  
Jan

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End of Arabic-L:  07 Jul 2010


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