Language name and location: Bosmun, Papua New Guinea [Refer to Ethnologue ]
|
1. koku(ne) |
2. buniŋ |
3. buankak |
4. boɡur, boɡul |
5. parembaŋ, parbaŋ |
10. parniŋ |
20. (parniŋ) orniŋ |
Linguist providing data and dateː Dr. Glen A. Lean, Department of Communications, Papua New Guinea University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea, 1991.
Sourceː Glendon A. Lean. Counting systems of Papua New Guinea,
volume 15, Madang Province Department of Mathematics and Statistics,
Papua New Guinea University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea, 1991. |
Other comments: Bosmun is spoken by approximately 1,700 speakers in the villages in the lower Ramu river, Bogia district, Madang province and East Sepik province, Papua New Guinea. Bosmun system is a digit-tally one with tallying beginning on the fingers of the left hand, starting with the thumbs, and proceeding to the right hand, arriving at the little fingers at a count of 10. Tally then proceeds to the toes, those of the left foot tallied first and those of the right next; tally is complete at 20 and the cycle repeated if necessary. The basic numeral set is (1, 2, 4) on the assumption that 3, 'buankak' ('(m)bonkiakak'') has a '2 + 1' construction. Both 5 and 10 contain a 'hand morpheme 'par-', 5 having the sense 'hand one' and 10 having the meaning 'hand (s) two'. The number word for 20 contain a 'foot' morpheme 'or-' and has the meaning 'foot two'ː 'oriniŋ'; the author has 'parniŋ orniŋ' i.e. 'hand two foot two'. New data needed to compare with the old one. |
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