Language name and locationː Umanakaina, Papua New Guinea [Refer to Ethnologue]

言名称和分布地区乌马纳凯纳语, 巴布亚新几内亚米尔内湾省

 

1. eyaka mena (litː 'one only')

2. apeya (litː 'two')

3. apeya eyaka ('two one')

4. apeya apeya ('two two')

5. ida daikere mena (litː 'hand one-side only')                           

6. ida daikere mena daikere eyaka mena ('hand one-side finished one-side one only')

7. ida daikere mena daikere apeya ('hand one-side finished one-side two')

8. ida daikere mena daikere apeya eyaka ('hand one-side finished one-side two one')

9. ida daikere mena daikere apeya apeya ('hand one-side finished one-side two two')

10. ida eside mean (litː 'hand above only')

11. ida eside kewowena kerapu eyaka mena ('hand above finished foot one only')

12. ida eside kewowena kerapu apeya

13. ida eside kewowena kerapu apeya eyaka

14. ida eside kewowena kerapu apeya apeya

15. ida eside kewowena kerapu daikere mena

     (litː 'hand above finished foot one-side finished one-side only')

16. ida eside kewowena kerapu daikere kewowena daikere eyake mena

     (litː 'hand above finished foot one-side finished one-side one only')

17. ida eside kewowena kerapu daikere kewowena daikere apeya

18. ida eside kewowena kerapu daikere kewowena daikere apeya eyaka

19. ida eside kewowena kerapu daikere kewowena daikere apeya apeya

20. iyapana eyaka mena (litː 'person one only')

  

Linguist providing data and dateː Mr. Sigmund Evensen, Wycliffe-Norway, June 10, 2011.

提供资的语言家: Mr. Sigmund Evensen, 2011 年 6 月 10 日

 

Other comments: Umanakaina is spoken by approximately 2,800 speakers in Rabaraba district, Milne Bay province, Papua New Guinea. There are only two real numerals in Umanakaina counting system, one and two. You seldom hear people use Umanakaina terms for numbers above 5. For larger numbers they will just say: ''ropani'' (many), ''ropani kawaya'' (many big), ''ropani kawaya eba bigabigai'' (many big not few), or ''ropani kawaya eba iyabapamana makai'' (many big not to-count possible). When they give away piles of yams at feasts they keep track of how many they give by keeping a small piece of wood (I seem to recall that they call it ''ruba'') for every 20 yams. In other words, if they have kept 5 ''ruba'', they know that they gave away 100 yams and would expect to get a similar amount (or more) back at some later time.

Other higher numbers can be formed as followsː

21. iyapana eyaka mena kewowena ida eyaka mena (person one only finished hand

      one only)

22. iyapana eyaka mena kewowena ida apeya (person one only finished hand two)

29. iyapana eyaka mena kewowena ida daikere kewowena daikere apeya apeya 

     (person one only finished hand one-side finished one-side two two.

30. iyapana eyaka mena kewowena ida esida mena (person one only finished hand

      above only)

40. iyapana apeya (person two)

41. iyapana apeya kewowena ida eyaka mena (person one only finished hand one

     only)

    The system goes on and on, but as I said, this is purely academic. Numbers above

    5 or so are not used in everyday life. There are no special words for 50, 100, 1000.


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