Language contact (Wichita numbers)

[ROOD DAVID S]

Wichita numbers six, seven and eight all start with the "morpheme??"
kiyah-, followed by the numbers for one, two and three respectively:

	(chi)7ass 'one'		kiyehess 'six'
	wicha 'two'		kiyahwicha 'seven'
	tawha 'three'		kiyatawha 'eight'

(Don't ask me to explain the vagaries of the "h"s, please.)

  The Siouan words cited in this exchange look like they're built on a
combination of this "prefix" and the Siouan word for 'four'. If that
element is borrowed in either direction, it's meaning has shifted between
"five plus" and "two times".  My instincts are that that's a lot of
semantic change for an element in the basic counting system, but the
phonetics is certainly intriguing.

	I'm pretty sure Bob R. worked his way through all of this a while
back in a study of the numbers.

Best,
	David


David S. Rood
Dept. of Linguistics
Univ. of Colorado
295 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
USA
rood at colorado.edu

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006, Anthony Grant wrote:

> Justin-
>
> I think Wichita has been mentioned in this context before as a partial source.  And there's 'nine', too, which occurs in Algonquian, Muskogean and Siouan languages and which is another old favourite of the list.
>
> -Anthony
>
> >>> "Justin McBride" <jmcbride at kawnation.com> 08/21/06 8:00 pm >>>
> I may be mistaken, but I think one of the two forms of 'eight' is probably a
> borrowing in both Osage and Kansa.  I believe the popular thinking is that
> the original source is Potawatomi, but I've never heard that particular
> word.  The loans are hkietóopa (OS) and kki(y)adóba (KS), which vary with
> the historically Dhegiha-derived form ppeyá(a)bliN in KS, and possibly
> *hpeyáabriN in OS, but I don't know if the latter form is attested.
>
> Wow, that sounds pretty vague!  Hope it helps, though...
>
> -Justin
>
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------
> This email and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed.  Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Edge Hill University or associated companies.  If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender as soon as possible and delete it and all copies of it.  You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended recipient.
>
> The message content of in-coming emails is automatically scanned to identify Spam and viruses otherwise Edge Hill University do not actively monitor content.  However, sometimes it will be necessary for Edge Hill University to access business communications during staff absence.
>
> Edge Hill University has taken steps to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus free.  However, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that it is virus free and no responsibility is accepted by Edge Hill University for any loss or damage arising in any way from its use.
> <<<<EdgeHill>>>>
>