What's a bit worth? Re: "-er" / "-est" in a letter from Lillooet

[James Crippen]

On 3/23/07, Dave Robertson <ddr11 at uvic.ca> wrote:
> By the way, "6 bits" in the Jargon of the BC Interior just as likely
> meant "60 cents" as "75 cents".
>
> Probably the same situation was true elsewhere.

Tlingit uses "gwit" or "gut" (with high tone) to mean "dime". It's
clearly from "bit" with the bilabial converted to a labialized
unaspirated velar according to the usual consonant conversions for
Tlingit which lacks bilabial obstruents. The latter "gut" has the
rounded vowel due to rounding spread from the labialization. It's used
more in the north, with "gwit" apparently more common in the south.

> When folks meant "75 cents" they were likely to say <tlun kwata>, "three
> quarters".

In Tlingit it would be "nas'k kwaadaa" which is just "three
quarter(s)". Calque perhaps? More likely just a borrowing of "kwaadaa"
and the native numeral.

(I haven't read through my mail from this list for a while so I'm just
now catching up...)

Cheers,
James

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