Ethi numerals and fractions
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:46 pm
This may become a scratchpad, in which case I will change the subject line; if it is one I'm starting in an unusual place (a bit of background, then numerals and fractions) and this may be more of a conworlding thread, but bear with and I may get to more usual areas such as phonology...
Geographical situation
Ethi is an Arethlanian language spoken in the north-western coastal area of Aretia, south of the Baugor peninsula and north of the Kyakoprak peninsula. There is little linguistic consistency across the Ethi area, which in fact is a dialect continuum, with the prestige dialect Sešfe being the dialect of the island of Dol. It has a number of close relatives nearby (Honnyon, spoken inland and to the north; Yarro spoken in the Yarrobam archipelago out west), a host of cousin families somewhat more distant (Baugor and Beyvin languages to the north, and Iozhi in South Aretia), and has been influenced by both Kelsi-Urngese to the North-East and Sunorian languages from across the Western Ocean: Róruan in the Classical Era, and Sèilitan more recently. The extinct Baalan languages contributed significantly to the language's development, and the Ethi branch of the Arethlanian family may have originated as a creole between Baalan and Proto-Ethi. Some language contact has also occurred with the Tthen Sie languages to the East and the Kyako-Elotöri languages to the South-West.
The Ethi area is a geopolitical crossroads and the diversity of its linguistic influences reflects this.
Numerals and Fractions
There are two main sets of numerals in use in the cultural area of North-West Aretia. One derives from Proto-Arethlanian (the ancestor of modern Ethi), and the other are the originally Gad'ilwan (ancient Sunorian) numbers, transferred from the Róruan invasion of the Classical Era (known as Róruan numerals to the Ethi).
In modern Ethi, the Róruan set are used for cardinal numbers, whilst the Arethlanian set are used for fractions. Ordinals can utilise either set, and a growing trend is to employ an animacy distinction, where more animate nouns tend to be counted with the Arethlanian set and vice versa. The implication is that the Arethlanians used fractions before the Róruans came along, which is interesting given that the Róruans thought they invented them. Anyway, both sets are subject to inflection with various affixes, e.g. -ay(in)- (negative), -c- dual, -p- augmentative, -o (collective), -i (adjectiviser). The Róruan set also show no-longer-productive derivational processes from Old Sunorian, such as *-(ta)ma (obscured by sandhi) meaning 'double' (a process which could also be covered in modern Ethi by -c-).
Róruan set:
Notice the derivation (from Old Sunorian): four is 'double two', six is 'double three', eight is 'double four'. 10 and 12 have their own base words. Five is 'not double three' (as in, nearly it), seven is 'not double eight', etc.
Modern Ethi culture is in flux between using predominantly base 12 and base 10. (It was actually once base 60 -- but its flexible base-10-or-12 system is what is left over after significant contact with other cultures).
Arethlanian set:
Unitary fractions, where the numerator is 1, are formed with (somewhat strangely) the concrete noun class marker -a applied to the Arethlanian forms of the denominator (sometimes obscured by sound changes):
The fun part is how the other fractions are denoted -- here the derivational affixes come into play. Where a = appears, it means there is a reduced form of that fraction which is used instead.
Fractions as denominations
A fua is also a coin denomination. There are 12 fua to a džao. Each asterisked denomination has its own coin:
A fua is about a day's labourer's wage. There are lower denominations, namely 'bena' (a 360th of the whole). There are 30 bena to each fua.
Days of the month
Ethi months have up to 30 days. These are named with the Arethlanian numerals with the derived noun class suffix -i -- the resulting meaning is similar to our shorthand 'the first', 'the second'. Whilst the previous list only went up to 12, this list extends to 30, revealing a derivational process at play in the Arethlanian numerals too (one based on prime numbers: for instance, 13 is its own root, while 14 is 'twice seven', and 15 is '5,3'). The ancient Arethlanians were quite the mathematicians, and invented this system literally to preserve cultural knowledge of prime numbers. Square numbers take a suffix -š, not to be confused with -aš- (fourth).
That'll do for now. Just trying to get some of it down.
Geographical situation
Ethi is an Arethlanian language spoken in the north-western coastal area of Aretia, south of the Baugor peninsula and north of the Kyakoprak peninsula. There is little linguistic consistency across the Ethi area, which in fact is a dialect continuum, with the prestige dialect Sešfe being the dialect of the island of Dol. It has a number of close relatives nearby (Honnyon, spoken inland and to the north; Yarro spoken in the Yarrobam archipelago out west), a host of cousin families somewhat more distant (Baugor and Beyvin languages to the north, and Iozhi in South Aretia), and has been influenced by both Kelsi-Urngese to the North-East and Sunorian languages from across the Western Ocean: Róruan in the Classical Era, and Sèilitan more recently. The extinct Baalan languages contributed significantly to the language's development, and the Ethi branch of the Arethlanian family may have originated as a creole between Baalan and Proto-Ethi. Some language contact has also occurred with the Tthen Sie languages to the East and the Kyako-Elotöri languages to the South-West.
The Ethi area is a geopolitical crossroads and the diversity of its linguistic influences reflects this.
Numerals and Fractions
There are two main sets of numerals in use in the cultural area of North-West Aretia. One derives from Proto-Arethlanian (the ancestor of modern Ethi), and the other are the originally Gad'ilwan (ancient Sunorian) numbers, transferred from the Róruan invasion of the Classical Era (known as Róruan numerals to the Ethi).
In modern Ethi, the Róruan set are used for cardinal numbers, whilst the Arethlanian set are used for fractions. Ordinals can utilise either set, and a growing trend is to employ an animacy distinction, where more animate nouns tend to be counted with the Arethlanian set and vice versa. The implication is that the Arethlanians used fractions before the Róruans came along, which is interesting given that the Róruans thought they invented them. Anyway, both sets are subject to inflection with various affixes, e.g. -ay(in)- (negative), -c- dual, -p- augmentative, -o (collective), -i (adjectiviser). The Róruan set also show no-longer-productive derivational processes from Old Sunorian, such as *-(ta)ma (obscured by sandhi) meaning 'double' (a process which could also be covered in modern Ethi by -c-).
Róruan set:
More: show
Notice the derivation (from Old Sunorian): four is 'double two', six is 'double three', eight is 'double four'. 10 and 12 have their own base words. Five is 'not double three' (as in, nearly it), seven is 'not double eight', etc.
Modern Ethi culture is in flux between using predominantly base 12 and base 10. (It was actually once base 60 -- but its flexible base-10-or-12 system is what is left over after significant contact with other cultures).
Arethlanian set:
More: show
Unitary fractions, where the numerator is 1, are formed with (somewhat strangely) the concrete noun class marker -a applied to the Arethlanian forms of the denominator (sometimes obscured by sound changes):
More: show
The fun part is how the other fractions are denoted -- here the derivational affixes come into play. Where a = appears, it means there is a reduced form of that fraction which is used instead.
More: show
Fractions as denominations
A fua is also a coin denomination. There are 12 fua to a džao. Each asterisked denomination has its own coin:
More: show
A fua is about a day's labourer's wage. There are lower denominations, namely 'bena' (a 360th of the whole). There are 30 bena to each fua.
Days of the month
Ethi months have up to 30 days. These are named with the Arethlanian numerals with the derived noun class suffix -i -- the resulting meaning is similar to our shorthand 'the first', 'the second'. Whilst the previous list only went up to 12, this list extends to 30, revealing a derivational process at play in the Arethlanian numerals too (one based on prime numbers: for instance, 13 is its own root, while 14 is 'twice seven', and 15 is '5,3'). The ancient Arethlanians were quite the mathematicians, and invented this system literally to preserve cultural knowledge of prime numbers. Square numbers take a suffix -š, not to be confused with -aš- (fourth).
More: show
That'll do for now. Just trying to get some of it down.