Language name and location: Iyo, Papua New Guinea [Refer to Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 伊约语, 巴布亚新几内亚马当省及莫罗贝省

1. kanata

2. ɪɾisa

3. kapʊsa

4. nim̃ kini

5. kandɛka  (litː ''one hand'')

6. kande saŋiyo kanata  [lit: "one on top of one hand (five)"]

7. kande saŋiyo ɪɾisa

8. kande saŋiyo kapʊsa

9. kande saŋiyo nim̃ kini  

10. kande ɪɾisa  (litː ''two hands'')

11. kande ɪɾisa kanata

12. kande ɪɾisa ɪɾisa

13. kande ɪɾisa kapʊsa

Linguist providing data and dateː Mr. Paul Minter through Mr. Ray Stegeman. SIL International, Papua New Guinea, June 11, 2010.  

提供资料的语言学家: Mr. Paul Minter, 2010 年 6 月 11 日.

Other comments: Iyo is spoken by approximately 6,900 speakers in Finisterre mountains’ south slopes along Nahu and Bure rivers, Madang province and northwest Markham district, Morobe province, Papua New Guinea. The names for the Iyo numerals 1, 2 and 3 are unique words. The Iyo speaker starts with an open left palm, folding down fingers to count, starting with the smallest finger. Therefore, the word for the numeral 4 is literally, "not its mother", by which they mean, "not the thumb", then the numeral 5 is literally "one hand," which is all five fingers folded down into a fist. The words for 6 mean, "one on top of one hand [five]" (counted by grasping the smallest finger on the right hand with the full left hand); 7 means, "two on top of five" (grasping two fingers of the right hand with the full left hand, and so on); 8 means, "three on top of five"; 9 means, "not its mother [four] on top of five". Then both closed fists are bumped together to indicate 10, literally "two hands". The word for 11 means, "two hands [and] one" (with both closed fists reaching to hold the smallest toe on the left foot, and so on); 12 means, "two hands and two"; 13 means "two hands and three"; 14 "two hands and four"; 15 "two hand [and] one leg/foot". This proceeds up to 20 which means, "one [man's] body." Now, in general, the numbers above 10 are no longer used, substituting the Tok Pisin terms.