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

语言名称和分布地区: 努克纳语, 巴布亚新几内亚莫罗贝省

1. kə.'man ( litː ''one'')

2. 'ja.rə (litː ''two'')

3. 'ka.lə.hu (litː ''three'')

4. 'ja.rə 'nuk.nuk (litː ''two friend friend'')

5. ket 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk (litː ''hand on one side all'')

6. ket 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ ket 'num.kə.lu kə.'man re (litː ''hand on one side all, and

   hand on one side one only'')

7. ket 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ ket 'num.kə.lu 'ja.rə

8. ket 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ ket 'num.kə.lu 'ka.lə.hu

9. ket 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ ket 'num.kə.lu 'ja.rə 'nuk.nuk

10. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk (litː ''hand on both sides all'')

11. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu kə.'man re
     (litː ''hand on both sides all, foot from one only'')

12. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu kə.'man 'ja.rə

13. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu kə.'man 'ka.lə.hu

14. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu kə.'man 'ja.rə 'nuk.nuk

15. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk

     (litː ''hand on both sides all, foot from one side all'')

16. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ hə.'ram 'num.kə.lu
     kə.'man re (litː ''hand on both sides all, foot from one side all, and .also foot on one
     side one only'')  

17. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ hə.'ram 'num.kə.lu
     'ja.rə

18. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ hə.'ram 'num.kə.lu
     'ka.lə.hu

19. ket 'num.num 'kə.muk, hə.'ram 'kə.lu 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ hə.'ram 'num.kə.lu
     'ja.rə 'nuk.nuk

20. 'əm.na kə.'mab.dən ket hə.'ram 'kə.muk (litː ''man-one-POSSESIVE [one man's]

     hand foot all'')

Other comments: Nukna is spoken by approximately 1,000 speakers in lower Timbe river valley, Morobe province, Papua New Guinea. The Nukna system has a basic numeral set (1, 2, 3); 4 has a '2+2' construction and number 2, 5 and 10 contains a 'hand' morpheme 'ket' and the number words for 11 to 19 both contain a leg' morpheme 'hə.'ram'. The number word for 20 contains a 'man' morpheme 'əm.na'. The system, thus, is a digit-tally one with a (2, 5, 20) cyclic pattern. Other higher numbers are expressed as bellows:

21. 'əm.na kə.'man.dən ket hə.'ram 'kə.muk, 'əm.na kə.man.dən 'ket.nə kə.'man

25. 'əm.na kə.'man.dən ket hə.'ram 'kə.muk, haŋ 'əm.na kə.man.dən 'ket.nə 'num.kə.lu

      'kə.'man

30. 'əm.na kə.'man.dən ket hə.'ram 'kə.muk, haŋ 'əm.na kə.man.dən 'ket.'num.num

      kə.'man

40. 'əm.na 'ja.rə.jan ket hə.'ram 'kə.muk (litː two men's hand foot all)

59. 'əm.na 'ja.rə.jan ket hə.'ram 'kə.muk, 'əm.na kə.'man.dən ket 'num.num 'kə.muk,

      hə.'ram 'kə.lu 'num.kə.lu 'kə.muk, haŋ hə.'ram 'num.kə.lu 'ja.rə 'nuk.nuk.

60. 'əm.na 'ka.lə.hu.jan. ket hə.ram 'kə.muk (litː three men's hand foot all)

The Nukna people today use the vernacular for one, two and three. Beyond that, they use the English numbers. Most of the younger people do not know the traditional number system – only the older generation. Getting the traditional vernacular for 59 and 60 was as far as I could go. My Nukna informants said that bigger numbers (like 100 or higher) simply were not dealt with by their ancestors on a regular basis, so they didn’t know what they would be.