Language name and locationː Nduɡa, Papua, Indonesia [Refer to Ethnologue]
言名称和分布地区恩杜加语, 印度尼西亚巴布亚省中部查亚维查县高地地区

 

1. misiɡet

2. mberen

3. kenan

4. kwapmendak

5. kwapnuk

6. ponok ŋɡwe kwapnuk, ponok ŋɡwe misiɡet (lit: 'five on one hand and one on the  

   other hand')

7. ponok ŋɡwe kwapnuk, ponok ŋɡwe mberen

8. ponok ŋɡwe kwapnuk, ponok ŋɡwe kenan

9. ponok ŋɡwe kwapnuk, ponok ŋɡwe kwapmendak

10. yu me kwapnuk, iri kwapnuk, ap misk iŋɡi (lit: 'here five and there five, one man's

    hands')

20. ap mberen iŋɡi

30. ap kenan iŋɡi 

40. ap kwapmendak iŋɡi

50. ap kwapnuk  iŋɡi

 

Linguist providing data and dateː Mrs. Mary Byrne, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, USA, October 26, 2014, January 13, 2021.
提供资的语言家: Mrs. Mary Byrne, 2014 年 10 月 26 日, 2021 年 1 月 13 日

 

Other comments: Nduɡa is spoken by approximately 10,000 speakers in central highlands, Jayawijaya regency, Papua province, Indonesia. The Nduga counting system is quite simple, they actually have words for only the first five numbers, then they say: ''five on one hand and one on the other hand'' and so on until they reach ten, they clap their hands together and say "one man's hands" - ap misk ŋɡi. For six to nine, they have one hand folded down and begin to fold down the second hand finger by finger. The English translation is: ''here five and there one, here five and there two, etc". 10 is ''here five and there five, one man's hands, as they clap the two hands together. They really have no conception or way of expressing numbers beyond 10 or 20. Culturally, they count folding down the little finger, then subsequent fingers, then the thumb for the first five numbers, the same of the other hand till they get to ten. Mrs. Mary Byrne said again in 2021: The Ndugas count to five starting with the little finger on their right hands. Then they say: "Here 5 and there 1 until they get to 9 after which they say "One man's hand".  They then count by hands through all the numbers up to 100. As far as I remember they then go into Indonesian numbers because Nduga gets too complicated. 


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