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I'm counted with Sheeyiz
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Number names, numeric symbols and numbering
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 2 Oct 2023, 23:24.

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DESCRIBING NUMBERS

Sheeyiz uses a decimal number system originally designed by the Toroňgan military for the Talan language. Its grammatical description has been re-interpreted several times in the 1600 year history of Sheeyiz, but the way it actually operates hasn't really changed. Grammatically, all number expressions are qualifier phrases or qualifier phrases with conjunct phrases.

Numbers one to ten are individual adjectives: ϫɵőᶗ, ᶙᶕυҕ, ḟɵů, ᶑᶗů, ᶀᶗⱷ†ɵů, ҕᶕ, ħᶕᶙ†ᶕ, ᶂọᶕ, υҕᶗṅ, fọᶕ.

Words for the numbers from eleven to nineteen just append the units number, becoming a compound qualifier with fọᶕ ("ten"). For example: fOᶕ§ḟɵů meaning “thirteen”.

Number words from twenty to ninety-nine are created using numeric multiplier prefixes with the number ten (fọᶕ) word root, plus any required units number appended. These multipliers are: ᶙᶕ, ḟᶕ, ᶑᶗ, ᶀħᶕ, ҕᶕ, ħᶕ, ᶂᶕ and υҕᶕ. These multipliers are based on the initial consonant sound(s) of the related numbers except for 9. For example: ḟᶕ§fOᶕ§ҕᶗṅ meaning “thirty-nine”. If there are two adjacent vowels when joining a prefix to a number word, then a linking consonant sound will be pronounced - but this is only shown in writing with the symbol ˛. These multiplier roots are also used as determiners.

Side note: During the Classical Period, the pronunciation of the multiplier word roots for six and nine became the same. For a while, speakers worked around this by using an "eighty plus ten" type construction for ninety. The Naastnaat word for nine (Classical Period spelling υϿυ) eventually became substituted for the previous nine multiplier and this multiplier has now become υъᶕ.

Numbers 100-9999 work the same way as above, but including the words őɵⱷᶗ (“hundred”) and/or ϣεᶗ (“thousand”) as appropriate. For example: ḟᶕ§ϣεᶗ§ҕЄҕᶗ means “three thousand (and) six”.

Numbers over ten thousand are written slightly differently. The first part is the major numeral part in attributive form plus qualifier ending ϣεᶗᶕ(˛ḟ) “thousand”, or ϣεҕϣεᶗᶕ(˛ḟ) "thousand thousand", followed by the major numeral count. If the number isn't an even thousand, then ọṅŋ†ϣ meaning “and” is added and finally the rest of the number is added in the format as above.
For example: ϣεᶗᶕ ᶙᶕ§őɵⱷᶗ§ᶀħᶕ§fọᶕ§ḟɵů ọṅŋ†ϣ fọᶕ§ᶑᶗů meaning “two hundred and fifty three thousand and fourteen”.

FRACTIONS

Fractions use a compound word based on the word ȫᶗů (“fraction”) in attributive form appended to other number word roots to define the denominator (as above), with the following number word or phrase as the numerator. For example: ȫᶗůọ§fọᶕ§ҕЄҕᶗ υъᶗṅ ḟᶕy *** meaning “nine sixteenths of a ***”.

Mixed numbers use the whole number scheme above, then add ọṅŋ†ϣ (“and"), then use the fraction scheme above.
For example: υъᶕ§fọᶕ§ħᶕᶙ†ᶕ ọṅŋ†ϣ ȫᶗůọ§fọᶕ§ҕᶕҕᶗ ḟɵů meaning “97 3/16”.

DECIMAL SYMBOLS
Letters (often with an archaic shape) are used as number symbols. A leading zero symbol (letter y from yᶕħ†ᶕ meaning "foundation" and "zero") is sometimes used to confirm a decimal format number versus a traditional format number, especially in legal or formal documents. The digits represent the initial sound of the number word as used in Talan (the original source language of Sheeyiz numbers). Some thus also align with the Sheeyiz number words; 1, 3 4 and 9 are the same. The ḻőϣd (linking) symbol § is used as the decimal point and the pause symbol - is used as the equivalent of space or comma in large or tiny numbers. Thus 97.2 = yνł§Ϥ and 1,000,009 = yᶌ-yyy-yyν§ or just ᶌ-yyy-yyν§.

Symbol Decimal Digit
y 0
1
2
3
4
5
ε 6
ł 7
8
υ 9

SECONDARY NUMBERING SYSTEM

We can use Roman numerals to number chapters of a book, like “xii”, instead of the normal digits. In the same way, Sheeyiz speakers can use one letter abbreviations (in the Sethen script) of the Classical Period number names as an alternative number display system for small integer numbers in specialist uses. The number words equivalent to ten, hundred and thousand are also present as abbreviations and numbers are constructed in the same way as number words (up to 9999) above but with both the number words and prefixes in abbreviated form. This was how numbers were written in the Classical Period, before the decimal system was introduced. The symbols are the letter shapes of the Classical Period and have not altered in the modern era. Example: 199 would be represented as ☼υfυ.

Symbol Number
1
Ϥ 2
3
4
5
Ϧ 6
7
8
υ 9
f 10
100
1000

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