Science and culture, 82(5-6) 189-193, 2016
Numerals in Koro Language - language of Ingenious People
Narayan Ch Ghosh*
ABSTRACT
The day when
homosepiens invented language jumped a long step in its way to future progress
and as the term progress is a continuous changing process language; a structure
of progress, cannot be static. Structural changes of languages generating
momentum for further changes; and therefore languages are taking new shapes.
Contributions in these changes in Society and in language itself are multidimensional.
Here author have tried to look to Koro language, a language of India's remote northeast corner that have
been identified recently and completely new to science for recasting words use
to write Bengali numerals.
In view of the stated facts one has to look to the
way of expression of numeral system in Bengali or to some extend Indian
languages. Perhaps it is essential to think for upgradation of existing methods
of expression of numeral system in those languages. It is most urgent to
make existing system compatible
*Dr. Narayan Ch
Ghosh, Professor in Mathematics, having thirty seven years teaching and
research experience in India and abroad. Email : ghosnarayan@gmail.com, ghoshnc@rediffmail.com, Phone : 91 033
26803563, 26802365, Mobile : 91 9831100325, 9433870670
with newly invented high speed computer. To
understand this easily a chronological picture of the development of digit is
given below. It is necessary for learning and memorising Bengali numeral system
in shorter form, more simple and effective manner. For discussion one may look
to a newly discovered language, in urbanised sense, is indigenous language.
After van der Waerden, modified
by Philip J. Davis[3]
Science Daily reported that the expedition
was part of National Geographic's Enduring Voices project (http://on.natgeo.com/dDyLox), led by National Geographic Fellows Gregory Anderson,
director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, and K. David
Harrison an associate professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College. Before
the expedition, the team had targeted the remote Arunachal Pradesh state in
northeastern India as one of its "Language Hotspots" -- a place on
the world map that hosts a rich diversity of languages, many are unwritten, are
little studied or documented.
"On a scientist's tally sheet, Koro adds
just one entry to the list of 6,909 languages worldwide…. But Koro's
contribution is much greater than that tiny fraction would suggest,"
Harrison writes in "The Last Speakers," newly published by National
Geographic Books. "Koro brings an entirely different perspective, history,
mythology, technology and grammar to what was known before." A scientific
paper on the newly identified language published in volume 71 of the journal
Indian Linguistics[5].
The revelation of the new language was
bittersweet: Koro is highly endangered. Only about 800 people are believed to
speak it -- few under age 20 -- and the language has not been written down.
"We were finding something that was making its exit, was on its way
out," Anderson said. "And if we had waited 10 years to make the trip,
we might not have come across close to the number of speakers we found."
Arunachal Pradesh
is considered a "black hole" on the linguistic map: Because a special
permit is required to enter the region, few linguists have worked there, and no
one has drawn up a reliable list of languages spoken there, their locations or
numbers of speakers. The Enduring Voices team began its search in Arunachal
Pradesh in 2008 for two poorly known languages -- Aka and Miji -- known to be
spoken in one small district. The team, which included Indian linguist Ganesh
Murmu of Ranchi University, climbed steep hillsides to reach speakers'
villages, going door-to-door among the bamboo houses that sit on stilts;
villagers eke out livings raising pigs and cultivating rice and barley. The
investigators listened to and recorded the vocabularies of these poorly known
tongues, Harrison, Anderson and Murmu began to detect a surprise third
language, one locally known as Koro. None of the scientific literature they had
studied had reported the existence of a third and completely distinct language
in the region -- it's not listed in standard international registries of
languages or even in Indian language surveys or censuses. Harrison said,
"We didn't have to get far on our word list to realize it was extremely
different in every possible way"[6].
The team crossed a rushing mountain river by
bamboo raft to reach the tiniest Koro village. They sat on shaded verandas of
the stilt-supported houses, making recordings as people shared their
vocabularies and life stories in the hidden language of Koro. Thousands of
words were captured -- the first known time that Koro was recorded as its own
distinct language, Harrison said.
Koro shaped up as
distinct from the region's other languages on many levels, the linguists said.
Its inventory of sounds was completely different, and so was the way sounds
combine to form words. Words also are built differently in Koro, as are
sentences. As for example, the Aka word for "mountain" is
"phù" while the Koro word is "nggõ." Aka speakers call a
pig a "vo" while to Koro speakers, a pig is a "lele." "Koro
could hardly sound more different from Aka," Harrison writes in "The
Last Speakers." Anderson and Harrison said that Aka is the traditional
language of the region's historic slave traders; they hypothesize that Koro may
have sprung from the slaves, though they say more study is needed to determine
precise origins.
Languages are dying
around the world; one blinks out about every two weeks. Linguists consider
about half of the world's nearly 7,000 tongues are endangered, the victims of
cultural changes, ethnic shame, government repression and other factors[6].
National
Geographic's Enduring Voices project works to identify language hotspots,
document vanishing languages and cultures, and assist with language
revitalization.
What is the value
to the speakers of identifying the world's "hidden" languages? "Part
of the uniqueness of very small languages is that their speakers may feel a
sense of ownership over them," Harrison writes in "The Last
Speakers." "In the case of Koro, even though they seem to be
gradually giving up their language, it remains the most powerful trait that
identifies them as a distinct people. Without it, they are merely part of a
larger group within India's population of a billion-plus."
Counting System in Koro
Language
Not all languages have numeral systems for counting. Specifically,
there is not much need for numeral systems among hunter-gatherers who do not
engage in commerce. Many languages around the world have no numerals above two
to four. Several languages from the Amazon have been independently reported to
have no specific number words other than 'one'. These include Nadëb, pre-contact Mocoví and Pilagá, Culina and pre-contact Jarawara, Jabutí, Canela-Krahô, Botocudo (Krenák), Chiquitano, the Campa languages, Arabela, and Achuar. Some languages of
Australia, such as Warlpiri, do not have words for quantities above two,
as did many Khoisan languages at the time of
European contact. Such languages do not have a word class of 'numeral'.
Most languages with both numerals and counting use base
8, 10, 12, or 20. Base 10 appears to come from counting one's fingers, base 20
from the fingers and toes, base 8 from counting the spaces between the fingers
(attested in California), and base 12 from counting the knuckles (3 each for
the four fingers). For very large (and very small) numbers, traditional systems
have been superseded by the use of scientific notation and the system
of SI prefixes. Traditional systems
continue to be used in everyday life[7].
Many languages of Melanesia have (or once had) counting systems
based on parts of the body which do not have a numeric base; there are (or
were) no numerals, but rather nouns for relevant parts of the body—or simply
pointing to the relevant spots—were used for quantities. For example, 1–4 may
be the fingers, 5 'thumb', 6 'wrist', 7 'elbow', 8 'shoulder', etc., across the
body and down the other arm, so that the opposite pinkie represents a number
between 17 (Torres
Islands)
to 23 (Eleman). For numbers beyond this,
the torso, legs and toes may be used, or one might count back up the other arm
and back down the first, depending on the people.
Some Austronesian and Melanesian ethnic groups, some Sulawesi and some Papua New Guineans, count with the base number four, using the
term asu and aso, the word for dog, as the ubiquitous village
dog has four legs. This is argued by anthropologists to be also based on early
humans noting the human and animal shared body feature of two arms and two legs
as well as its ease in simple arithmetic and counting. As an example of the
system's ease a realistic scenario could include a farmer returning from the
market with fifty asu heads of pig (200), less 30 asu (120)
of pig bartered for 10 asu (40) of goats noting his new pig
count total as twenty asu: 80 pigs remaining. The system has a
correlation to the dozen counting system and
is still in common use in these areas as a natural and easy method of simple
arithmetic.
It is known that Quinary systems are based on the number
5. It is almost certain the quinary system developed from counting by fingers
(five fingers per hand). An example are the Epi languages of Vanuatu, where 5 is luna 'hand',
10 lua-luna 'two hand', 15 tolu-luna 'three
hand', etc. 11 is then lua-luna tai 'two-hand one', and
17 tolu-luna lua 'three-hand two'. 5 is a common auxiliary
base, or sub-base, where 6 is 'five and one', 7 'five and two',
etc. Aztec was a vigesimal
(base-20) system with sub-base 5.
Kanum is a rare example of a language with base 6.
The Sko languages, however, are base-24 with
a subbase of 6. On the other hand Octal counting systems are based on the
number 8. It is used in the Yuki language of California and in the Pamean languages of Mexico, because the Yuki and Pame keep count by using the four spaces between their
fingers rather than the fingers themselves.
A majority of traditional number systems are decimal.
This dates back at least to the ancient Indians then Egyptians, who used a wholly decimal system.
Anthropologists hypothesize this may be due to humans having five digits per hand, ten in total. There are many regional
variations including: i. Western system: based on thousands, with variants, ii. Indian
system: crore, lakh iii. East
Asian system: based on ten-thousands.
There is Duodecimal systems are based on 12. These
include: Chepang language of Nepal, Mahl language of Minicoy Island in India, Nigerian Middle Belt areas such as Janji, Kahugu and the Nimbia dialect of Gwandara, Melanesia, reconstructed proto-Benue–Congo.
Duodecimal numeric systems have some practical advantages
over decimal. It is much easier to divide the base digit twelve (which is a highly composite number) by many important divisors in market and trade settings,
such as the numbers 2, 3, 4 and 6.
Because of several measurements based on
twelve, many Western languages have words for base-twelve units such
as dozen, gross and great gross, which allow for rudimentary
duodecimal nomenclature, such as "two gross
six dozen" for 360. Ancient Romans used a decimal system for integers, but switched to duodecimal for fractions, and correspondingly Latin developed a rich
vocabulary for duodecimal-based fractions. A notable fictional duodecimal
system was that of J. R. R. Tolkien's Elvish languages, which used duodecimal as well as decimal.
Vigesimal numbers use the number 20 as the base number
for counting. Anthropologists are convinced the system originated from digit
counting, as did bases five and ten, twenty being the number of human fingers
and toes combined. The system is in widespread use across the world. Some
include the classical Mesoamerican cultures, still in use today in the
modern indigenous languages of their descendants, namely the Nahuatl and Mayan languages. A modern national language which uses a
full vigesimal system is Dzongkha in Bhutan.
Partial vigesimal systems are found in some European
languages : Basque, Celtic languages, French (from Celtic), Danish, and Georgian. In these languages the systems are
vigesimal up to 99, then decimal from 100 up. That is, 140 is 'one hundred two
score', not *seven score, and there is no numeral for 400.
The term score originates from tally sticks, and is
perhaps a remnant of Celtic vigesimal counting. It was
widely used to learn the pre-decimal British currency in
this idiom: "a dozen pence and a score of bob", referring to the 20 shillings in a pound. For Americans the term is
most known from the opening of the Gettysburg Address: "Four score
and seven years ago, our forefathers...".
Ekari has a base-60 system. Sumeria had a base-60 system
with a decimal subbase (perhaps aconflation of the decimal and a duodecimal
systems of its constituent peoples), which was the origin of the numbering of
modern degrees, minutes, and seconds. Supyire is said to have a base-80 system; it
counts in twenties (with 5 and 10 as
subbases) up to 80, then by eighties up to 400, and then by 400s (great
scores).
|
kàmpwóò
|
ŋ̀kwuu
|
sicyɛɛré
|
ná
|
béé-tàànre
|
ná
|
kɛ́
|
ná
|
báár-ìcyɛ̀ɛ̀rè
|
|
fourhundred
|
eighty
|
four
|
and
|
twenty-three
|
and
|
ten
|
and
|
five-four
|
799 [i.e. 400 + (4 x 80) + (3 x 20) + {10 + (5
+ 4)}]’
Ekari has a base-60 system. Sumeria had a base-60 system
with a decimal subbase (perhaps a conflation of the decimal and a duodecimal
systems of its constituent peoples), which was the origin of the numbering of
modern degrees, minutes, and seconds. Supyire is said to have a base-80 system; it
counts in twenties (with 5 and 10 as subbases) up to 80, then by
eighties up to 400, and then by 400s (great scores).
Larger numerals
English has derived numerals for multiples of its base (fifty,
sixty, etc), and some languages have simplex numerals for these, or
even for numbers between the multiples of its base. Balinese, for example, currently has a decimal
system, with words for 10, 100, and 1000, but has additional simplex numerals
for 25 (with a second word for 25 only found in a compound for 75), 35, 45, 50,
150, 175, 200 (with a second found in a compound for 1200), 400, 900, and 1600.
In Hindustani, the numerals between 10
and 100 have become conflated to the extent that they need to be learned
independently.
In many languages, numerals up to the base are a
distinct part of speech, while the words for
powers of the base belong to one of the other word classes. In English, these
higher words are hundred 10², thousand 10³, million just 106, and higher
powers of a thousand (short scale) or of a million (long scale—see names of large numbers). These words cannot
modify a noun without being preceded by an article or numeral, and so are
nouns.
In East Asia, the higher units are hundred,
thousand, myriad 104,
and powers of myriad. In India, they are
hundred, thousand, lakh 105,crore 107,
and so on. The Mesoamerican system, still used to some extent in Mayan languages, was based on powers of 20: bak’ 400
(20²), pik 8000 (20³), kalab 160,000 (204),
etc.
Numerals in Koro Language*
|
1.
ecé
|
21.
niflá yalí ecé
|
|
2.
kene / kine/
|
22. niflá
yalí kene
|
|
3.
kalá
|
23. niflá
yalí kalá
|
|
4.
koblé / kople
|
24. niflá
yalí koblé
|
|
5.
plé
|
25. niflá
yalí plé
|
|
6.
sufí /sufì/
|
26. niflá
yalí sufi
|
|
7.
rõ
|
27.
niflá yalí rõ
|
|
8.
ralá /ràla/
|
28. niflá
yalí ralá
|
|
9.
ɡayé
/ ɡaje /
|
29. niflá
yalí ɡayé
|
|
10.
fãlá
|
30.
kaláflá
|
|
11.
fãlá yalí ecé
|
40.
kobléflá
|
|
12.
fãlá yalí kene
|
50.
pléflá
|
|
13.
fãlá yalí kalá
|
60.
sufíflá
|
|
14.
fãlá yalí koblé
|
70.
rõflá
|
|
15.
fãlá yalí plé
|
80. raláflá
|
|
16.
fãlá yalí sufi
|
90.
ɡayéflá
|
|
17.
fãlá yalí rõ
|
100.
palá
|
|
18.
fãlá yalí ralá
|
200.
|
|
19.
fãlá yalí ɡayé
|
1000.
paláfélá ( 100 x 10)
|
|
20.
niflá
|
2000.
|
*Linguist providing data and date : Dr.
Kedutso Kapfo, March 6, 2012
Central Institute of Indian
Languages, Manasagangori, Mysore. Koro
is a newly discovered language spoken by a small community in Arunachal
Pradesh of North-East India. This language is first discovered by me in 2005[7].
Conclusion
:
From above discussion it is clear, numeral
system in Koro language is decimal system. Though it is a language of
indigenous people living in most remote areas in India Koro language structure
is scientific. Most interesting is in Bengali language to learn numerals from
one to hundred number one has to know minimum thirty seven separate words, on
the other hand in Koro language, a language of India's
remote northeast corner Arunachal Pradesh considered a "black hole"
on the linguistic map, has to learn only nineteen words to express the same in
Bengali. In some other Indian Language for same learning one has to know more
words. Perhaps having seen this mathematics teachers in Bengal or in some other
parts in India may be inspired to the find way for minmising the number of
words to teach number systems to their child like students in easy way[8].
Linguists may also think to develop idea for minimising number of words for
learning number system in Bengali.
References
1. Chris
Rainier : Photograph published in National Geographic
on October 5, 2010
2. Ghosh, N. C. : A New Look to Mathematics Education.
Journal of Centre for Pedagogical Studies in Mathematics, Vol. 31, 2011.
3. Philip
J. Davis : Large Numbers and Their Arithmetic. The Lore of Large Numbers.
New Mathematical Library. The L.W. Singer Company, 1961
4. Morrison, Dan : Hidden' Language Found in Remote Indian Tribe. National Geographic
Daily News.
2010
5. Lewis, M. Paul (ed.) : Ethnologue:
Languages of the World,
Sixteenth edition. Dallas, TX: SIL International, Hruso. 2009
6. Post, Mark W. and Roger Blench : Siangic: A new language phylum in
North East India, 6th
International Conference of the North East India Linguistics Society, Tezpur University, Assam, India, Jan 31 – Feb 2. 2011
7.
Schmid,
Randolph E. : Undocumented language found hidden in India. Associated
Press. 5 October 2010,
8.
Ghosh, N. C. : Numerals in Koro. Science India,
Vol. 18, No.7 p 27-32, 2015
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