From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 2033
Date: 2000-04-04
----- Original Message -----
From: David James <david@...>
To: <cybalist@egroups.com>
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2000 11:59 PM
Subject: [cybalist] Cumbrian Sheep Counting Numerals
Somebody read a paper on the Cumbrian and related
sheep-counting system in a session on numerals at the 12th
International Conference on Historical Linguistics
(Manchester, 1995). I'll check if the paper has been
published. I also remember reading about these systems in a
popular book on "eena, meena, mina, mo" rhymes, but can't
remember any bibliographical details right now (it was ages
ago).
One thing's for sure. These systems beautifully illustrate
the "rhythmic pairing" principle among the lower numerals;
here we have the pattern AABBC DDEEF, with rhymes, but such
coupling effects are visible in many IE languages in the
form of alliteration or levelled-out endings.
Piotr
> In the English Lake District there exist alternative sets
of numerals
> which are used to count sheep. Each valley has its own
version and I
> give two examples below:
>
> Borrowdale Eskdale
> ---------- -------
> 1 yan yaena
> 2 tyan taena
> 3 tethera teddera
> 4 methera meddera
> 5 pimp pimp
> 6 sethera hofa
> 7 lethera lofa
> 8 hovera seckera
> 9 dovera leckera
> 10 dik dik
> 20 jigot gigot
>
> The existence of these numerals is usually ascribed to the
survival
> of remnant Celtic populations following the arrival of the
Angles and
> Norse settlers, and the words for 5 and 10 seem to confirm
this,
> however I have difficulty explaining the other numerals.
Are they
> just fanciful inventions?
> Interestingly if this is the survival of a Celtic remnant
then it is
> most unusual because the local dialects were heavily
influenced by
> Old Norse, which for a few centuries, upto the 11th
century I think,
> was the common language of the area.
> What is even more fascinating perhaps is that a similar
set of
> numerals has been identified in Cincinnati in the United
States; a
> children's counting game as follows; een, teen, tother,
feather, fib,
> soter, oter, poter, debber, dik. The only explanation I
can think of
> is that there must have been migration from this part of
England to
> Cincinati.
> Can anyone throw some light on these matters and is anyone
aware of
> any other alternative/remnant counting systems?
> Thank you in advance.
> David James.
>
>
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