Language name and locationː Awjilah, Al Wahat district, Libya [Refer to Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 奥吉拉语, 利比亚东部绿洲省昔兰尼加地区 

1. iwìn, iwinàn (m.); iwát, iwatàn (f.)

21. 

2. itnèn  (< Arabic ) *

22.  

3. təlàta (< Arabic )

23.  

4. àrbəʕa (< Arabic )

24.  

5.

25.

6.

26.  

7. sə̀bəʕa (< Arabic )

27.  

8.

28.  

9. tə̀səʕa (< Arabic )

29. 

10.

30.  

11.

40. 

12. 

50. 

13.

60. 

14. 

70.  

15.

80.  

16. 

90.   təsʕìn

17.

100. mə̀yət

18.

200. 

19.

1000. əlf

20. 

2000.

Linguist providing data and dateː Dr. Marijn van Putten, Center for Linguistics, Leiden University, Netherlands, January 19, 2014.
提供资料的语言学家: Dr. Marijn van Putten, 2014 年 1 月 19 日.

Other comments: Awjilah only retained one traditional Berber numeral: iwìn, iwinàn , iwínan (masc.); iwát, iwatàn (fem.), after one, Arabic numerals have been used.

Data has been taken from Marijn van Putten (forthcoming.) A Grammar of Awjila Berber (Libya). Based on Umberto Paradisi’s Work. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag: Köln

The material is a reinterpretation of Umberto Paradisi’s transcriptions:

Paradisi, Umberto. 1960a. “Il berbero di Augila, Materiale lessicale.” Rivista degli Studi Orientali XXXV: 157-177.
Paradisi, Umberto. 1960b. “Testi berberi di Augila (Cirenaica).” Annali Istituto Univers. Orient. Napoli X: 79-91.

An IPA representation is impossible, as we have not heard Awjila spoken since the 1960’s.

Acute accent stands for a phonemic accent. Grave accent stands for a default accent position. All numeral but ‘one’ are of Arabic origin.

The words ‘nine’, ‘ninety’ and ‘one hundred’ have been abstracted from the construction: tə̀səʕa mə̀yət id-tə̀səʕa u-təsʕìn (9 hundred with-9 and-ninety). Individually these words are not attested.

Zanon (1932: 264) speaks of a cryptic counting system that avoids the use of Arabic numeral in order to discuss numbers without outsiders understanding them. He does not cite the terminology in berber, but only gives an Italian translation.

1. finger

2. two fingers

5. complete hand

7. a hand and two fingers, or two hands minus three fingers

10. two hands

15. two hands and a foot

20. two hands and two feet

Cryptic numeral systems are typical for Berber languages and are also found in Nefusa Berber, Siwa Berber and El-Foqaha Berber (in El-Foqaha, cryptic numerals are the only attested numerals).

Zanon, Fernando. 1932-1933. “Contributo Alla Conoscenza Linguistico-etnografica dell’Oasi Di Augila.” L’Africa Italiana 50/40-51/1-4: 259–276.

Awjila, Local Berber name: Jlan n Awilen, Tawilant or Tawjilit, is a severely endangered or moribund Eastern Berber language spoken in the Awjila oasis, Cyrenaica, Libya by approximately 3,000 speakers.