From: Harald Hammarström:
>> > > Was there really a base 6 counting system in Uralic? I mean,
>> > > do 12, 18, etc. function in any way like 20, 30 in the decimal
>> > > system?
>> >
>> > No (the idea stems from a bad-reasoned article in 1960). There are no
>> > traces in Uralic of 6 as a base i.e no words 6+1 etc or monomorphemic
>> > words for 12, 18 etc or 6 contained in 12, 18 etc.
>> > /H
>>
>> Yes, my doubts turned out to be reasonable. By the way, is anybody aware
of
>> any system like that, i.e. 6, 6+6, 6+6+6 (or 6-dual, 6-plural or sim.) in
>> any language? I am afraid there is no system like that...
>
>There are (or were) attested true base-6 systems in Frederik-Hendrik island
>outside Papua New Guinea. But it is 6, 2x6, 3x6 etc (see source below).
I see, could you possibly cite the source - just a brief excerpt or example,
please?
Something like this - in a Trans-New Guinean language (Indo-Pacific
macrophylum?) called Aghu (="person", aghu-bigi = "person-bon" = "20"), the
numeral 6, 12 & 18 are as follows:
(bidikimu/bidikuma = "one hand", bifidikimu/a "the one hand")
"6" bidikuma-fasike "hand + one"
"12" kito wodo womu "the toe next to the middle toe"
"18" afi-kito efe womu "the other toe in the middle"
or like this:
Telefol (Trans-New Guinean phylum of the Indo-Pacific macrophylum):
"6" bukubkal "fist of the left hand"
"12" tulunkal "left ear"
...
Kombai; Korowai; Wambon (three languages of the same phylum)
"1" raga; senan; sanop "little finger"
...
"6" go; gédu; kumuk "wrist"
"12" khabiya (head); khotokhal (ear); silutop (ear)
...
etc.
>There is other evidence of base-6 in Guinea (in Africa) as well as in
>some North American Indian lgs but it's not so systematic nor
>well-attested (ask for sources).
>
Well, maybe. I am aware of the first decade in Yuma (Hoka family), but it is
based on multiplication in general (thus not on 6's), e.g.:
"2" xavik < *xwak
"3" xamók < *xmuk
"6" xuumxuuk = 2x3
"9" xamxamok = 3x3
or Chumash of Santa Barbara:
"2" ickomo
"3" masex
"4" ckumu = "2x2" or "2^2"
"8" ckomo (Chumash of San Luis Obispo) = "2x2x2" or "2^3"
"12" masex-eskumu = "3x4"
or Nama of the Khoi-San macrophylum (paired numerals):
"3" !nona
"6" !nani
These were just formal, typological examples I would like you to present, if
possible.
To sum it up, I have encountered following systems of (creating) numerals:
Two basic types:
A: Direct (transparent) semantic motivation (most often body parts,
sometimes pronominal, verbal or dif. origin)
B: Transparent application of arithmetic operations (sum, substraction,
multiplication, etc.)
C: Combination of A & B, often analysable only when using etymological
approach
And, just as any part of lexicon, sometimes, numerals were and are borrowed,
of course.
>/H
>
>@Article{,
> author = {P. Drabbe},
> journal = {Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde},
> title = {Bijzonderheden uit de talen van Frederik-Hendrik-Eiland:
>Kimaghama, Ndom en Riantana},
> year = {1949},
> volume = {105},
> pages = {1-24}
>}