Re: [tied] Re: Numerals query again

Borrowing numbers isn't strange at all as it might seem. We have also other
examples like Khartvelian borrowing some IE numbers, Japanese taking almost
all Chinese numbers as primary and keeping their old numbers in specialized
forms (like the "names" of the days in a month etc.), Swahili taking 6
(sita), 7 (saba), 9 (tisa) and the tens (20 - ishirini, 30 - thalathini
etc.) from Arabic...
It was already said that PIE *septm is a definte loanword from Semitic, as
is quite clear. It is also obvious that PIE word for 6 and the Semitic one
(cf. Arabic sitt-at-un) are similar. But here it's not so obvious that we
have a case of a Semitic borrowing into IE as in 7.

Mate

----- Original Message -----
From: "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 11:18 AM
Subject: [tied] Re: Numerals query again


> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski
> <piotr.gasiorowski@...> wrote:
> > 10-11-03 20:59, Abdullah Konushevci wrote:
> >
> > > Any idea about loans, when we deal with numbers, for me is very
> > > strange.
> >
> > Why? Individual numerals, systems of counting, and ways of forming
> > complex numeral expressions are all borrowable (wholesale or
> partially).
> > The inherited atomic numerals are more stable than the rest, but
> can be
> > borrowed nevertheless. There can be little doubt that PIE
> *septm. '7' is
> > a cultural loan of Semitic origin. Crimean Gothic sada '100', Finno-
>
> > Ugric *sata and possibly Slavic *sUto come from Iranian, and
> Albanian
> > quind from Latin.
> >
>
> Danish military use: 'nejne' '9' (borrowed from guess where) for 'ni'
> to avoid confusion with 'ti' '10'.
>
> Torsten
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>