Re: 5 = "hand"

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Pavel A. da Mek" <a.da_mek0@...> wrote:

>
> > there are languages where 2 = "many", 5 = "hand", etc.
>
> There were two systems of counting on fingers or digits: excluding the
> thumb and including the thumb. So the numeral 5 was literally "with
> thumb" and 4 "without". This allows us to reconstruct pre-PIE words
>
> kWe "with"
> pen "thumb"
> twor "out"
> pen-kWe "with thumb > five"
> kWe-twor "without > four"

Odd facts from
Heinrich Werner
Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Jenissej-Sprachen
'hAn,(n) (m-ketisch, n, Pl. hÁn,n´en,) 'Hand', siehe hAn,n ds.;
arinisch (H) upega,
arinisch (M, W, VW, Kl) p´Hjaga ds.;
PJ *pH&n, / *pH&ng&;
PJ (S) *pVg- ds.;
B 1957 vgl. mit tung. hanna ds.; oder auch
samT. feân,,
samJen. feo, fe,
samK. p´en,,
samJur. pen,, pien,, pean, 'Handfläche'

>
> (This message is intended to be read tomorrow.)

By a Cretan?


Torsten