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Lesson 23: Quantifiers & Numbers, Part 1

This lesson is going to contain a lot of vocabulary. But the two types of words we will learn fulfill the same function: they talk about the number of a noun—either amplifying and specifying the plural or standing in where we have no verb to take the plural. Both are used postpositionally (that is they’re placed after the case phrase (noun + ending) they modify). And like other postpositions, their forms are immutable; they take no affixes.

Number Vocabulary


	nede		one (1)
	shin		two (2)
	boó		three (3)
	bim		four (4)
	shan		five (5)
	bath		six (6)
	um		seven (7)
	nib		eight (8)
	bud		nine (9)
	thab		ten (10)
	debe		hundred (100)
	thob		thousand (1,000)
	rod		million (1,000,000)
	merod		billion (1,000,000,000)

Additional Number Vocabulary


	lami		number
	lamith		to count
	elamith		mathematics
	uzh		symbol (of notation, alphabet, orthography)

Examples


	nedethab		eleven (11)
	shinethab		twelve (12)
	bathethab		sixteen (16)

The “teen” forms give the number to be added to ten followed by “thab” (ten). This rule applies to numbers from eleven to nineteen. Remember to insert the “e” where needed to separate forbidden consonant clusters.


	thabeshin		twenty (20)
	thabeboó		thirty (30)
	debeshan		five hundred (500)
	thobebath		six thousand (6,000)
	rodum		seven million (7,000,000)
	merodebud		nine billion (9,000,000,000)

In the forms greater than the teens, the number by which ten (or one hundred or one thousand or one million or one billion) is multiplied is presented after the base (the ten, hundred, and so on).


	thabeshin i shan		twenty-five (25)
	debeshan i thabebath i boó		five hundred sixty-three (563)
	thobenib i debebim i umethab		eight thousand four hundred seventeen (8,417)
	thobebud i debe i thabeshin		nine thousand one hundred twenty (9,120)

To combine elements having different bases, simply place the word “i” (which means “and” but is used with numbers to represent addition) between them.

Notice that the base appears without modification if the digit in that place is “1”.

Notice, also, that any place having a zero value is simply omitted.

Quantifiers

What can we do when we need to be more specific than merely plural—but we don’t want to use a number? Or when we need to make a non-Subject case phrase plural and have no verb to show the plural—and we still don’t want to use a number? Our answer is quantifiers.

Non-Number Vocabulary


	menedebe (variant: mendebe)		many
	nedebe (variant: ndebe)		few; several
	woho		all; every
	waha		any

Notice the variant formations for “menedebe” and “nedebe” above. Like the variant plural form introduced in the lesson covering Plurals, these also incorporate a “syllabic n.” The syllabic n consistitutes a syllable in its own right (like the final syllable in the English word “button”), and so is exempt from the consonant-vowel alternation rules. “Mendebe” (the variant of “menedebe”) is still a four-syllable word: me-n-de-be. “Ndebe” (the variant of “nedebe”) is still a three-syllable word: n-de-be.

Earlier in this lesson we learned the word “nede” (number: one). Would it surprise you to find that it also has a variant form? It does; it’s “nde,” a two-syllable word: n-de.

Additional Non-Number Vocabulary


	bre... ébre		if... then
	bróo		because
	dale		object (made-thing)
	ili		water
	lam		health
	neda		only
	shinehothul		great-grandparent [shin (two) + hothul (grandparent)]

A note about the words “bre,” “ébre” and “bróo:” in Láadan, the sound “b” should be followed by a vowel sound. An early mistake (occasioned by the fact that “r” is not really a consonant in the same sense that “b” is) allowed a few words with the combination “br” to be created. This is considered an historical accident, and new formations with that combination or similar combinations would not be allowed.

Examples


	Bíi eril bel be mideth withede wáa.		She took the animal from the woman.
	Bíi eril mebel bezh mideth withede wáa.		They (few) took the animal from the woman.
	Bíi eril bel be mideth withede nedebe wáa.		She took the animal from the several women.
	Bíi eril bel be mideth withede menedebe wáa.		She took the animal from the many women.
	Bíi eril bel be mideth withede nib wáa.		She took the animal from the eight women.

There are times when when you need to indicate a plural, but you have no verb to take the plural marker, [as in the third, fourth and fifth sentences above]. You can then put the word “menedebe” (many) immediately after the noun phrase you want to make plural. The same thing is done with numbers, and with the words “nedebe” (few, several), and “woho” (all, every). These words never change their form, never add prefixes or suffixes; thus, if the “animal” up there were “many animals,” you would use “mideth menedebe” (the case marker would never appear on “menedebe”), as below.


	Bíi eril bel be mideth nedebe withede.		She took several animals from the woman.
	Bíi eril mebel bezh mideth menedebe withede.		They (few) took many animals from the woman.
	Bíi eril bel be mideth shan withede nedebe.		She took five animals from several women.

The above examples do not have any Evidence [Word] at the end, and they are not in a series of connected sentences that would indicate what the speaker intended. This is possible in Láadan, but it can mean only one thing: that the speaker does not wish to state the reason why she considers what she says to be true.

Exercises

Translate the following into numerals.


1	thabum i um
2	debeshin i thabeshan i bath
3	thobeshan i debeshan i thabeshan i shin
4	debebud i thabebath i shin
5	thobebath i debeshan i thabebud i bud
6	thobenib i debe i thabeshan i nib
7	thobebath i debeshin i bim
8	debeboó i thabeshan
9	thobum i nibethab
10	thobeboó i debenib i thabebim

Form the following numerals into Láadan


11	57
12	524
13	4,587
14	3,605
15	6,540
16	6,158
17	3,651
18	6,058
19	1,295
20	7,854

Translate the following into English.


21	Bíi eril memíi omá um waá.
22	Báa mehim mewolawida wowith nedebe meladim?
23	Bíi eril sháad wothen womazh bode menedebe wa.
24	Báa eril thel hothul daleth nedebe dimede?
25	Bíi eril bel Ána daleth woho dimede nedebe wa.
26	Bíi shóodehul thul áwithetha nib bróo menin áwith menedebe halehuleth wa.

Note that, as in #21 and #22, when a quantifier—or a number greater than “nede” (one)—is used to modify the Subject, the verb must be plural.

Did you notice that, from the surface shape, “daleth,” of the Objects in #24 & #25, it is impossible to tell whether “thing” or “object” is intended? And the context is no help. On the other hand, in #27 the horse is probably not eating a tool (ed); grain (ede) is much more likely.

Also in #25, did you notice that the phrase “dim onidathode nedebe” is ambiguous? It’s impossible to tell without more information whether the “nedebe” refers to “dim” or to “onida”—that is, whether everything was taken out of several containers belonging to one family or one container belonging to several families—or, indeed, several containers belonging to several families.

Translate the second phrase into Láadan & modify the sentence to include the quantified noun phrase; translate into English before and after.


27	Bíi yod omid edeth wa.	only six horses
28	Bíi eril néde ban ne wolaya wohesh lan nethodi wáa.	several red boats
29	Bóo mebédi mewida nezh bodeth belidede.	all the dishes, few houses
30	Bíi u urahu wa; bóo mesháad nen déela lethodi.	all the gates
31	Báa eril an bebáa amedaraháth?	ten dancers
32	Bíi úuya ra héena shonátho bróo eril dutha sherídanid betha beth wa.	many heart-siblings

Did you remember to pluralize the relativizer as well as the verb in #28?

Did you have any trouble deciphering the word “duthahá” in #32? It comes from “dutha” (to heal) + “&ndashá” (doer) and means “healer,” or “one who heals.”

Translate the following into Láadan.


33	The many very colorful birds are beautiful.
34	They (few) will buy the many tools from the storekeeper.
35	Prithee teach (you many) your song to all the children.
36	A few farmers can move one hundred large pigs to five farms.
37	The three small plants have few flowers but many leaves.
38	Many animals come from the forest to the creek; Mary cares for them all.

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Answers


1	77
2	256
3	5,552
4	962
5	6,599
6	8,158
7	6,204
8	350
9	7,018
10	3,840

11	thabeshan i um.
12	debeshan i thabeshin i bim.
13	thobebim i debeshan i thabenib i um.
14	thobeboó i debebath i shan.
15	thobebath i debeshan i thabebim.
16	thobebath i debe i thabeshan i nib.
17	thobeboó i debebath i thabeshan i nede.
18	thobebath i thabeshan i nib.
19	thob i debeshin i thabebud i shan.
20	thobum i debenib i thabeshan i bim.

21	The seven teachers were amazed (I don’t believe it).
22	Are the several pregant women traveling to the ocean?
23	The broken car was coming from the many mountains.
24	Did the grandmother get a few things from the container?
25	Anna took all of the objects from several containers.
26	The mother of eight babies is very busy because many babies cause a great deal of work.

27	The horse eats grain.
	Bíi meyod omid bath neda edeth wa.
	Only six horses eat grain.
28	You wanted to give your friend the red boat.
	Bíi eril néde ban ne mewolaya wohesh nedebe lan nethodi wáa.
	You wanted to give your friend several red boats.
29	Prithee promise (you few) to carry the dish from the house.
	Bóo mebédi mewida nezh bodeth woho belidede nedebe.
	Prithee promise (you few) to carry all the dishes from the few houses.
30	The gate is open; prithee come (you many) to my garden.
	Bíi mehu urahu woho wa; bóo mesháad nen déela lethodi.
	All the gates are open; prithee come (you many) to my garden.
31	Who knew the dancer?
	Báa eril an bebáa amedaraháth thab?
	Who knew the ten dancers?
32	The peace-maker’s heart-sibling doesn’t hurt because her nephew healed her.
	Bíi mehúuya ra héena shonátho menedebe bróo eril dutha sherídanid betha beneth wa.
	The peace-maker’s many heart-siblings don’t hurt because her nephew healed them.

33	Bíi meháya mewolirihul wobabí menedebe wa.
34	Bíi aril meheb bezh edeth menedebe weheháde wáa.
35	Bóo mehom nen lom nenethoth háawithedi woho.
36	Bíi methad memina ábedá nedebe meworahíya womudath debe ábededi shan wáa.
37	Bíi methi mewohíya wodala boó mahinath nedebe izh mith menedebe wa.
38	Bíi mesháad mid menedebe olinede wilidi; naya Méri beneth woho wa.

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