--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "P&G" <G.and.P@...> wrote:
>
> One possible explanation for teens being handled
> differently in some languages, is that they are
> much more common. A number like fifty-seven is
> treated, and perhaps even thought of, in two parts,
> whereas a number like twelve, or fifteen, is
> treated as a single unit. This is why illogical
> patterns survive.
Why is it "illogical" to ones before "ten"? Is it because we
write decimal numerals with the most significant digit on
the left (and read left to right?)
I always wondered about the original PIE order of number words.
Sanskrit was LSD to MSD, even beyond 100, though
dvi'-s'atam = 102 and dvis'ata'm = 200 are distinguished only
by accent and this would have been lost by 1st c CE (a fact
apparently not known to many writers on the history of numerals,
who seem to think tha twriting numerals LSD to MSD is weird).
So are 'thirteen' etc survials from way back or was this of
limited occurrance that was generalized in Sanskrit? [IIRC,
Lehamnn ameks a big deal about number words being MSD to LSD
in Japanese].
Nath Rao