How Do You Count?

A discussion of the peculiarities of languages and the differences between them.
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Slava
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How Do You Count?

Postby Slava » Wed Jul 31, 2013 7:27 pm

Here's an interesting book excerpt from Slate.com:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_ ... ingle.html

I wonder if the book itself touches upon the use of gender and declension in number words?
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

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gailr
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Re: How Do You Count?

Postby gailr » Wed Jul 31, 2013 8:57 pm

Quite an interesting read, Slava.

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Slava
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Re: How Do You Count?

Postby Slava » Wed Jul 31, 2013 9:33 pm

Thanks, gailr.

My thoughts on gender and declension are from my experience with Russian. It has a plural for one, and all the numeric adjectives decline by gender.

A simple example: one "kniga"(book), 2,3,4 "knigi", 5 knig. The pattern continues throughout. Any number that ends in the word one uses that ending. 2,3,4, the same. Everything else, like 5.

As they are digits, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen don't count. It has to be the word; twenty-one kniga, thirty-two knigi, etc.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


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