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Meaning of numbers | ||
Tags: Number System | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| Sinfonia Senior Member Wales Joined 6744 days ago 255 posts - 261 votes  Speaks: English* | Message 9 of 13 10 August 2006 at 7:35pm | IP Logged | ||
Ah, that reminds me of something someone once told me about Russian, only I forget what :-) As soróka is Russian for magpie, maybe a prominent farmer once kept seeing the same large number in his fields? Or what about sorótchka, Russian for shirt? Maybe one of the tsar's ancestors used to have a big collection, amounting to 40? As both these ideas about the origin of 40 are probably rubbish, isn't it spooky that 'sor' is Russian for rubbish? :-o 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Raincrowlee Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 6702 days ago 621 posts - 808 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin, Korean, French Studies: Indonesian, Japanese | Message 10 of 13 10 August 2006 at 10:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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In Taiwan, they'll use "san ba" (3 8) as an adjective to describe a girl who acts like a little child (dresses like a doll, has a high, slightly whiny voice, very passive and "cute.")
They also have a similar term for boys that also uses numbers, but I forget what they are. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Alfonso Octoglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 6861 days ago 511 posts - 536 votes Speaks: Biblical Hebrew, Spanish*, French, English, Tzotzil, Italian, Portuguese, Ancient Greek Studies: Nahuatl, Tzeltal, German | Message 11 of 13 11 August 2006 at 12:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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As I already posted in another thread (Vigesimal System Numerals) the number 20 in most of Mayan languages refers to human being. "Vinik" or "Winik" (in Maya-Tseltal and Maya-Tsotsil respectively) mean "human being" or just "man".
This is because man has 20 fingers and toes (EDITED), and they have copied this condition of the human being to create their Vigesimal System to count things. That's why -literally translated- they say: 20 vinik (one man, human being, person) 40 cha'vinik (two men, human beings, persons) etc. Edited by Alfonso on 15 August 2006 at 5:03pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Raincrowlee Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 6702 days ago 621 posts - 808 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin, Korean, French Studies: Indonesian, Japanese | Message 12 of 13 12 August 2006 at 11:40pm | IP Logged | ||
!!??!!?! I'm guessing you mean 20 fingers and toes. It's interesting to note that there's an aboriginal language here in Taiwan that also uses 20 to mean human being. I read an article about it in the newspaper. Perhaps I should try and see if I still have that around somewhere. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Alfonso Octoglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 6861 days ago 511 posts - 536 votes Speaks: Biblical Hebrew, Spanish*, French, English, Tzotzil, Italian, Portuguese, Ancient Greek Studies: Nahuatl, Tzeltal, German | Message 13 of 13 15 August 2006 at 5:05pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks for helping me to correct my post. You're right. I was thinking in Spanish while redacting it, because we use the same word "dedos" for fingers and toes.
I have edited it already. Edited by Alfonso on 15 August 2006 at 5:05pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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