My first numeral system - feedback welcome

If you're new to these arts, this is the place to ask "stupid" questions and get directions!
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collect_gluesticks
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My first numeral system - feedback welcome

Post by collect_gluesticks »

Hello! I'm new here.
I'm also new to numeral systems. None of the previous conlangs I did had any good ones.
Here's my first serious attempt at a numeral system. I would really appreciate any feedback you have:

https://idioma.neverheardof.me/numerals.html

My concerns:

1. Do you think this description makes sense, and is easy to follow? I'm not sure what the conventions are for describing numeral systems, and I may be using some terms wrong.

2. Is the naming scheme at least somewhat naturalistic? I suspect it might be too regular, and I'm OK with that. But also, I'm not aware of many languages where the multiplier comes after the word for "ten" rather than before. I did find a few examples. Just not sure how rare this is. Maybe it's more common than I think.

3. What do you think of having the two different systems? I wanted to play with base-20 systems, but I also don't think that would be fun to use in the modern world, where everyone uses base 10. So my idea was to have a traditional base 20 system that's mostly used for titles and dates, and use a base 10 system for day to day tasks (but with traces of the base 20 system still present). I think there is historical precedence for cultures doing something like this. Do you think it's plausible? Is it too contrived?

Some context: This is a personal language, but I my goal for it is to somewhat pass as a natlang, in terms of realism. I hope that by keeping the language naturalistic, that the end result might actually be useable / speakable. All my previous languages were implausible and unwieldy - something only space aliens would use.

I would like to think this language could be spoken by some present-day culture in an alternate history, but I'm not interested in fleshing out such conculture right now. Maybe a picture of such a culture could emerge as I build out the conlang.

Thank you in advance to all replies. I appreciate the feedback.
:con: website for my conlang, Yeh.
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Flavia
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Re: My first numeral system - feedback welcome

Post by Flavia »

collect_gluesticks wrote: 27 Nov 2021 01:49 Hello! I'm new here.
I'm also new to numeral systems. None of the previous conlangs I did had any good ones.
Here's my first serious attempt at a numeral system. I would really appreciate any feedback you have:

https://idioma.neverheardof.me/numerals.html

My concerns:

1. Do you think this description makes sense, and is easy to follow? I'm not sure what the conventions are for describing numeral systems, and I may be using some terms wrong.

2. Is the naming scheme at least somewhat naturalistic? I suspect it might be too regular, and I'm OK with that. But also, I'm not aware of many languages where the multiplier comes after the word for "ten" rather than before. I did find a few examples. Just not sure how rare this is. Maybe it's more common than I think.

3. What do you think of having the two different systems? I wanted to play with base-20 systems, but I also don't think that would be fun to use in the modern world, where everyone uses base 10. So my idea was to have a traditional base 20 system that's mostly used for titles and dates, and use a base 10 system for day to day tasks (but with traces of the base 20 system still present). I think there is historical precedence for cultures doing something like this. Do you think it's plausible? Is it too contrived?
1. yes
2. yes
3. there are languages with multiple systems, French for example has traces of vigesimal system, so yes
XIPA
:pol: > :eng: > :esp: > :lat: > :fra: > :por: > :deu:
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collect_gluesticks
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Re: My first numeral system - feedback welcome

Post by collect_gluesticks »

Thank you, Titus Flavius. I suspected my numerals would need a lot of work, and it's a relief to know that I'm closer to meeting my goals than I thought. I appreciate the feedback!
:con: website for my conlang, Yeh.
dva_arla
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Re: My first numeral system - feedback welcome

Post by dva_arla »

So my idea was to have a traditional base 20 system that's mostly used for titles and dates, and use a base 10 system for day to day tasks (but with traces of the base 20 system still present).
Welsh, to my knowledge, uses both systems in the exact distribution that you describe.

The numerals seem to indicate that you have had a robust set of sound changes laid off. Bravo!
Conlangs in progress:
Modern Khotanese
Modern Gandhari
?? - Japonic language in the Mekong Delta
Locna - Indo-European language in N. Syria
Wexford Norse
A British romlang, &c.
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collect_gluesticks
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Re: My first numeral system - feedback welcome

Post by collect_gluesticks »

dva_arla wrote: 10 Dec 2021 13:19
So my idea was to have a traditional base 20 system that's mostly used for titles and dates, and use a base 10 system for day to day tasks (but with traces of the base 20 system still present).
Welsh, to my knowledge, uses both systems in the exact distribution that you describe.

The numerals seem to indicate that you have had a robust set of sound changes laid off. Bravo!
Thank you for the feedback! I'm not sure what you mean by "laid off". Do you mean that the numerals look like they have gone through many sound changes? My hope is that they look somewhat naturalistic, though I did not evolve them from a protolang, so I wouldn't be surprised if the numerals felt artificial.

I think you're right about Welsh. The entry on omniglot mentions that decimal is not used as much for dates and ages. Maybe someone who speaks Welsh could confirm.

https://omniglot.com/language/numbers/welsh.htm

Thanks again [:D]
:con: website for my conlang, Yeh.
dva_arla
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Re: My first numeral system - feedback welcome

Post by dva_arla »

What I meant to say was "laid out". My bad!
Conlangs in progress:
Modern Khotanese
Modern Gandhari
?? - Japonic language in the Mekong Delta
Locna - Indo-European language in N. Syria
Wexford Norse
A British romlang, &c.
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collect_gluesticks
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Re: My first numeral system - feedback welcome

Post by collect_gluesticks »

dva_arla wrote: 12 Dec 2021 00:42 What I meant to say was "laid out". My bad!
I get it now! Thank you :-) That was unintentional, but serendipitous.
:con: website for my conlang, Yeh.
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