Igala

Language name and location: Igala, Enugu state, Nigeria [Refer to Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 伊加拉语, 尼日利亚西南部尼日尔河下游埃努古州和附近地区

1. éɲɛ́ / ǒkâ	21. óɡʷú ɲú mɔ́ kâ [óɡʷúɲɔ́mɔ́kâ]
2. èdʒì	22. óɡʷú ɲú òké mɔ́ èdʒì[óɡʷúɲúòkémédʒì]
3. ɛ̀ta	23. óɡʷú ɲú òké mɔ́ ɛ̀ta [óɡʷúɲúòkémɛ́ta]
4. ɛ̀lɛ̀	24. óɡʷú ɲú òké mɔ́ ɛ̀lɛ̀ [óɡʷúɲúòkémɛ́lɛ̀]
5. ɛ̀lú	25. óɡʷú ɲú òké mɔ́ ɛ̀lú [óɡʷúɲúòkémɛ́lú]
6. ɛ̀fà	26. óɡʷú ɲú òké mɔ́ ɛ̀fà [óɡʷúɲúòkémɛ́fà]
7. èbʲe	27. óɡʷú ɲú òké mɔ́ èbʲe [óɡʷúɲúòkémébʲe]
8. ɛ̀dʒɔ	28. óɡʷú ɲú òké mɔ́ ɛ̀dʒɔ [óɡʷúɲúòkémɛ́dʒɔ]
9. ɛ̀lá	29. óɡʷú ɲú òké mɔ́ ɛ̀lá [óɡʷúɲúòkémɛ́lá]
10. ɛ̀ɡʷá	30. óɡʷú ɛ̀ɡʷá [ɔ́ɡʷɛ́ɡʷá]
11. ɛ̀ɡʷá kâ [ɛ̀ɡʷákâ]	40. ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀ mɔ́ èdʒì [ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀médʒì] ( 20 x 2 )
12. ɛ̀ɡʷá èdʒì [ɛ̀ɡʷédʒì]	50. ódʒe /ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀ mɔ́ èdʒì ɲú
13. ɛ̀ɡʷá ɛ̀ta [ɛ̀ɡʷɛ́ta]	60. ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀ mɔ́ ɛ̀ta [ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀mɛ́ta]
14. ɛ̀ɡʷá ɛ̀lɛ̀ [ɛ̀ɡʷɛ́lɛ̀]	70. (ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀ mɔ́) ɛ̀ta (ɲúòké mɔ́) ɛ̀ɡʷá
15. ɛ̀ɡʷa ɛ̀lú [ɛ̀ɡʷɛ́lú]	80. ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀ mɔ́ ɛ̀lɛ̀ [ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀mɛ́lɛ̀]
16. ɛ̀ɡʷá ɛ̀fà [ɛ̀ɡʷɛ́fà]	90. ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀ mɔ́ ɛ̀lɛ̀ [ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀mɛ́lɛ̀] ɛ̀ɡʷá
17. ɛ̀ɡʷá èbʲe [ɛ̀ɡʷébʲe]	100. ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀ mɔ́ ɛ̀lú [ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀mɛ́lú]
18. ɛ̀ɡʷá ɛ̀dʒɔ [ɛ̀ɡʷɛ́dʒɔ]	200. ɔ̀ɡbʷá ɔ́kɔ́ [ɔ̀ɡʷɔ́kɔ́]
19. ɛ̀ɡʷá ɛ̀lá [ɛ̀ɡʷɛ́lá]	1000. ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ [ítʃámúɲɔ́ɡʷɔ́kɔ́]
20. óɡʷú	2000. ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ mɔ́ èdʒi

Linguist providing data and dateː Dr. Salem Ochala Ejeba, Department of Linguistics and Communications, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. September 4, 2013.

提供资料的语言学家: Dr. Salem Ochala Ejeba, 2013 年 9 月 4 日.

Other comments: Igala is spoken by approximately 1,600,000 speakers in Anambra state: Anambra West LGA; Edo state: Esan Southeast LGA; Enugu state: Uzo-Uwani LGA; Kogi state: Bassa, Dekina, Ibaji, Idah, Igalamela-Odolu, and Ofu LGAs, Nigeria. Igala has vigesimal numeral system. There are separate units for the numerals ‘zero’ to ‘ten’ in Igala. There are also other separate forms for higher units; óɡʷú for ‘twenty’, ódʒe for ‘fifty’, ɔ̀ɡbʷá ɔ́kɔ́ for ‘two hundred’ úlú (ɔ́kɔ́) for ‘four hundred’, óɡwúmétʃi for ‘seven hundred’, and the highest unit is ítʃámû ‘eight hundred’ in this hierarchy. The units for ‘two hundred’ and ‘four hundred’ may occur with an optional expression, ɔ́kɔ́‘money’. This may be a pointer to the fact that these units came into the numeral system with the invention of money in Igala economy at some. Other units in the numeral system are the morpheme òké ‘unit’, the overt addition morpheme, ɲú, the multiplication morpheme, mɔ́ and the subtraction morpheme, tʃì.

For addition in the numeral system, the lower base numerals, particularly ‘one’ to ‘ten’, are used for counting the additions up to ‘nineteen’ in phrase combination with whatever is added. After these juxtapositions, there is the new unit, ógʷú for ‘twenty’.

Observe above that there is a special form for ‘one’ in the combination meaning ‘eleven (ten plus one)’, using the alternate/clitic form, kâ instead of the fully-fledged ǒkâ morpheme. This alternate form also occurs everywhere else where the sum of addition brings the number to ‘plus one’ in the numeral system.

Observe from the set of examples that beyond ‘twenty’, in the addition of ‘one’, a new morpheme, ɲú (lit. enter) ‘add’ is attached obligatorily before the added value. In counting ‘plus one’ in the thousandth, the morpheme, òké ‘unit’ makes ‘one’ an optional expression, as the sense of ‘unit’ may stand at this rate to also express ‘plus one’, as is shown in ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ ɲú òké (mɔ̂ kâ) ‘one thousand and one’.

The addition template, ɲú ((òké) mɔ́, is utilized generally in the higher numerals from ‘twenty’ in adding forms of the lower numerals generally.

For numeral values lower than ‘thousand’; from ‘twenty’ upwards, even though the expression òké ‘unit’ may be utilized, it is phonologically optional as is shown using the brackets in the numeral examples.

The simple additive morpheme, ɲú may also be used in isolation for addition. This is the case in instances such as ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ mɔ́ ɲú ódʒe (lit. two hundred add fifty), ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷɔ̀ mɔ́ ɛ̀lú (lit. eight hundred add one hundred) ‘eight hundred’ and ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́

(lit. eight hundred add two hundred) ‘one thousand’.

Whereas in phrasal combinations for simple additions of the lower numerals, ‘eleven’ to ‘nineteen’, the structural means is generally by the juxtaposition of ‘ten’, the highest unit of the base numerals that can be paired with other units below it; juxtaposition for the purpose of addition in the higher numerals is restricted only to the two isolates in the system, óɡʷú ɛ̀ɡʷá (twenty + ten) ‘thirty’ and úlú ɔ̀ɡʷá (four hundred + two hundred) ‘six hundred’. The hierarchy of occurrence is generally from a bigger number to a lower one without exception. Thus, the forms * ɔ̀ɡʷá úlú (two hundred + four hundred), * ɛ̀ɡʷá óɡʷú (ten + twenty) and maybe *ɛ̀ta ɛ̀ɡʷa (three + ten) are deviant structures for addition. ɛ̀ta ɛ̀ɡʷá ‘sixty’ however occurs, but as the sum shows, this case is rather for multiplication, and the ɛ̀ta form here is actually a shortened form for the underlying ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀ mɔ́ ɛta ɛ̀ɡʷá (twenty multiply three x ten) rather than simply *ɛ̀ta ɛ̀ɡʷa(three + ten), which is deviant.

One other interesting fact of the Igala numeral system is revealed in the hierarchical organization of its metric system. It seems clear from the occurrence in the language of òké ‘unit’ between higher numerals and numerals between ‘one’ and ‘ninteen’ that numerals ‘one’ to ‘nineteen’ are considered mere units of the lower numerals to be added to higher numerals. This system would contrast with languages like English in which the units are ‘one’ through ‘nine’ only. Observe the following examples,

1001 ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ ɲú òké (mɔ́ kâ)

1002 ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ ɲú òké mɔ́ èdʒì

1010 ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ ɲú òké mɔ́ ɛ̀ɡʷá

1019 ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ ɲú òké mɔ́ ɛ̀ɡʷá ɛ̀lá

1020 ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ ɲú òké mɔ́ óɡʷú

1050 ítʃámû ɲú ɔ̀ɡʷá ɔ́kɔ́ ɲú òké mɔ́ ódʒe

As the ungrammaticality of the treatment of ‘twenty’ and ‘fifty’ as units in ‘one thousand and twenty’ and ‘one thousand and thirty’ suggests, these are not lower units in Igala, even though nineteen in ‘one thousand and nineteen’ is demonstrated to be considered a unit. Thus for English it may be ‘units’, ‘tens’, ‘hundreds’, ‘thousands’, etc, for Igala it is ‘units’, ‘twenties’, ‘fifties’, ‘two hundreds’, ‘four hundreds’ and ‘eight hundreds’.

Language name and location: Igala, Enugu state, Nigeria [Refer to Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 伊加拉语, 尼日利亚西南部尼日尔河下游埃努古州和附近地区

1. ínyé̩ [íɲɛ́]	21. óɡwúnyókēkà [óɡwúɲókēkà]
2. èjì [èdʒì]	22. óɡwúnyókēmējì
3. ẹ̀tā [ɛ̀tā]	23. óɡwúnyókēmé̩tā
4. ẹ̀lè̩ [ɛ̀lɛ̀]	24. óɡwúnyókēmé̩lè̩
5. è̩lú [ɛ̀lú]	25. óɡwúnyókēmé̩lū
6. ẹ̀fè̩ [ɛ̀fɛ̀]	26. óɡwúnyókēmé̩fà
7. ẹ̀biē [èbjiē]	27. óɡwúnyókēmébiē
8. ẹ̀jọ̄ [ɛ̀dʒɔ]	28. óɡwúnyókēmé̩jō̩
9. ẹ̀lá [ɛ̀lá]	29. óɡwúnyókēmē̩lá
10. ẹ̀ɡwá [ɛ̀ɡwá]	30. ọ́ɡwú-è̩ɡwá [ ɔ́ɡwú-ɛ̀ɡwá]
11. ẹ̀ɡwákà [ɛ̀ɡwákà]	40. ọ́ɡwú-mējì [ɔ́ɡwúmēdʒì ] ( 20 x 2 )
12. ẹ̀ɡwéji [ɛ̀ɡwédʒi]	50. óójē [óódʒē ]
13. ẹ̀ɡwé̩tā [ɛ̀ɡwɛ́tā]	60. ọ̀ɡbò̩mé̩tā [ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀mɛ́tā ] ( 20 x 3 )
14. ẹ̀ɡwé̩lè̩ [ɛ̀ɡwɛ́lɛ̀]	70. è̩tè̩ɡwá [ɛ̀tɛ̀ɡwá ]
15. ẹ̀ɡwé̩lū [ɛ̀ɡwɛ́lū]	80. ọ̀ɡbọ̀-mé̩lè [ɔ̀ɡbɔ̀mɛ́lɛ̀] ( 20 x 4 )
16. ẹ̀ɡwé̩fé̩ [ɛ̀ɡwɛ́fɛ̀]	90. è̩lèɡwá [ɛ̀lɛ̀ɡwá]
17. ẹ̀ɡwébiē [ɛ̀ɡwébjiē]	100. óɡwú-mɛ́lū / ò̩ɡbò̩mé̩lū ( 20 x 5 )
18. ẹ̀ɡwé̩jō̩ [ɛ̀ɡwɛ́dʒɔ̄]	200. ò̩ɡwó̩kó̩ [ɔ̀ɡwɔ́kɔ́]́
19. ẹ̀ɡwé̩lā [ɛ̀ɡwɛ́lā]	1000. íchámùnyō̩ɡwó̩kó̩ [ítʃámùɲɔ̀ɡwɔ́kɔ́]
20. óɡwú [óɡwú]	2000. íchámùnyō̩ɡwó̩kó-mējì

Linguist providing data and dateː Dr. Gideon S. Omachonu, Department of languages and Linguistics, Nasarawa State University, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. April 12, 2008.

提供资料的语言学家: Dr. Gideon S. Omachonu, 2008 年 4 月 12 日.

Other comments: Igala has vigesimal numeral system. The under-dotted vowelsː ẹ and ọ are equivalent to IPA values [ɛ] and [ɔ] respectively.

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