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

语言名称和分布地区: 耶科拉语, 巴布亚新几内亚莫罗贝省

1. dembaka /zo ('a' or 'an', 'one', 'another', perhaps the form is /da-imbak/ ''one alone'')

2. eto

3. etaremba (lit: ''two-one'', where/-remba / is /demba/)

4. ika patiɡe (lit: ''stepping / pressing one a finger'')

5. uma zo  (litː ''hand one'')

6. uma zo ikare (litː ''hand one with a finger'')

7. uma zo ika eto (litː ''hand one with two fingers'')

8. uma zo ika etorembare (litː ''hand one with three fingers'')

9. uma zo ika patiɡere (litː ''hand one with four fingers'')

10. uma eto (litː ''hands two')

14. ika patiɡe

15. uma eto wiɡiti dembaka (lit: 'we' = ''leg'')

16. uma eto wiɡiti dembaka ika dembak (lit: ''hands two foot one'')

17. uma eto wiɡiti dembaka ika eto

18. uma eto wiɡiti dembaka ika etoremba

19. uma eto wiɡiti dembaka ika patiɡere

Linguist providing data and dateː Mr. Darryl Wilson. SIL International, Papua New Guinea. June 13, 2011.

提供资料的语言学家: Mr. Darryl Wilson. 2011 年 6 月 13 日.

Other comments: Yekora is spoken by about 1,000 speakers in 2 villages nearby Morobe government station area, Morobe province, Papua New Guinea. Yekora has a digit-tally system with at least two numerals similar to that of Suena and Zia. Note: The number "20" can be expressed either as "one man" or as "one taro". The expression "one man" equates to "20" by the number of digits -- 10 fingers and 10 toes -- on one man. In the Binanderean culture, the word "taro" is used as a substitute for "person", especially in the vocatives. Hence the expression "one taro" is a euphemism for "one man."

Cf. the Suena vocative expressions:

            ma eto              'two taro'          'you two persons'

            ma kaya           'bad taro'          'you plural persons'

            (Here /kaya/ is a contraction of /waya-ka-waya/ 'very bad')