Language name and location: Kovai, Papua New Guinea [Refer toː Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 科瓦伊语, 巴布亚新几内亚莫罗贝省

1. mʊŋ'ɡɔn

2. lɔ'lɔn

3. ʔal'βɔn

4. ʔi'lon

5. milin mʊŋ'ɡɔn  (litː ''hand one'') 

6. milin mʊŋ'ɡɔn manan mʊŋ'ɡɔn  (litː ''hand one and one'') 

7. milin mʊŋ'ɡɔn manan lɔ'lɔn

8. milin mʊŋ'ɡɔn manan ʔal'βɔn

9. milin mʊŋ'ɡɔn manan ʔi'lon

10. mela'lin

11. mela'lin manan mʊŋ'ɡɔn

12. mela'lin manan lɔ'lɔn

13. mela'lin manan ʔal'βɔn

14. mela'lin manan ʔi'lon

15. bab

16. bab manan mʊŋ'ɡɔn

17. bab manan lɔ'lɔn

18. bab manan ʔal'βɔn

19. bab manan ʔi'lon

20. ririŋ mʊŋ'ɡɔn, 21. ririŋ mʊŋ'ɡɔn manan mʊŋ'ɡɔn, 30. ririŋ mʊŋ'ɡɔn loŋon mela'lin

Linguist providing data and dateː Mr. Alan Brown, SIL-International, Papua New Guinea, March 11, 2011.  
提供资料的语言学家: Mr. Alan Brown, 2011 年 3 月 11 日.

Other comments: Kovai is spoken by approximately 6,000 speakers in Siassi district, Umboi and Rooke islands, Morobe province, Papua New Guinea. The Kovai has a counting system up to 20. An unusual feature here is that the word bad for '15'. The term for five, milin mʊŋ'ɡɔn means 'one hand', but there is a separate words for ten not meaning 'two hands'. The word for 20 does not mean 'man' and appears to be a true numeral. The word for '40' was given by some informants as ririŋ ilon, whereas this would be expected to represented 80 or 20 x 4. this confusion between the bases of ten and 0 is similar to that found with many of the Island Group Austronesian languages.

Language name and location: Kovai, Papua New Guinea [Refer toː Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 科瓦伊语, 巴布亚新几内亚莫罗贝省

1. munuɡon

2. lolon

3. albon

4. ilon

5. mili munuɡon  (litː ''hand one'') 

6. mili munuɡon manan munuɡon  (litː ''hand one and one'') 

7. mili munuɡon manan lolon  

8. mili munuɡon manan albon

9. mili munuɡon manan ilon

10. melalin

11. melalin manan munuɡon

12. melalin manan lolon

13. melalin manan albon

14. melalin manan ilon

15. bab

16. bab manan munuɡon

17. bab manan lolon

18. bab manan albon

19. bab manan ilon

20.  riring, 21. riring manan munuɡon

Linguist providing data and dateː Dr. Geoffrey P. Smith, The University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea / University of Hong Kong, November 12, 1990.

提供资料的语言学家: Dr. Geoffrey P. Smith, 1990 年 11 月 12 日.

Other comments: The Kovai has a counting system up to 20. An unusual feather here is that the word bad for '15'. The term for five, mili munugon means 'one hand', but there is a separate words for ten not meaning 'two hands'. The word for 20 does not mean 'man' and appears to be a true numeral. The word for '40' was given by some

informants as riring ilon, whereas this would be expected to represented 80 or 20 x 4. this confusion between the bases of ten and 0 is similar to that found with many of the Island Group Austronesian languages.