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Counting in Cuuyamu
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Cardinal and ordinal numbers
This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 12 Feb 2016, 04:14.

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Cardinal numbers
Cuuyamu has two sets of numbers between 1 and 10. One set is used to count inanimate objects, while the other is used for counting animate beings.

EnglishInanimateAnimate
1zulyash
2aqtìi
3iidzlúú
4çáabin
5jitsa
6uzulmayash
7uaqmatii
8uiidzmaluu
9uçaamabin
10ujimatsa

For example:

Zúutsilcipaqi mayash ñàamu dzaal uzul ñitu.
sit-3PThird person plural (person)
neither speaker nor addressee, they/them
.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving
.PRProper
marks a noun as referring to a unique entity
-3PThird person plural (person)
neither speaker nor addressee, they/them
.INANInanimate (gender/class)
inanimate, sessile
.OBJObject (argument) six.ANAnimate (gender/class)
alive, moving
cat OBJObject (argument) six.INANInanimate (gender/class)
inanimate, sessile
chair
Six cats are sitting on six chairs.

The inanimate numbers 6-10 are constructed using the word u, meaning hand. The derivation of the ma- prefix for animate counting is less clear. It may be an archaic form of hand or foot, or perhaps some other word that was prefixed to parallel the inanimate pattern and has since been reduced to a single syllable.

Above 10, all numbers are based on the inanimate forms.

Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers are used to place things in order, such as the third boy, first in line, and my fifth piece of cake. To form ordinal numbers in Cuuyamu, simply add the prefix jil- to a corresponding cardinal number. This applies to both animate and inanimate numbers. There is one exception: the word taasis is always used for first, whether animate or inanimate. There are no forms *jilzul or *jilyash. The first six ordinal numbers are thus:

EnglishInanimateAnimate
firsttaasistaasis
secondjilaqjiltii
thirdjiliidzjilluu
fourthjilçaajilbin
fifthjiljijiltsa
sixthjiluzuljilmayash


The ordinal numbers can be used as verbs (to be first, second, etc.) by adding the suffix -jat.

Ta anlu anaish taasisjatwu.
in this.SUBSubject (argument) queue first-VBZVerbaliser
converts N, ADJ etc into verb
-1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I
.PRSPresent tense (tense)
I am first in this line.


<still needed: constructions for 11+>

<multipliers: single, double, one-fold, two-fold, singly, doubly, twice, thrice>

<zero, decimals, fractions, negatives, percentages?>

<numbers used grammatically in various ways and examples>
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