Memniq morphology
- Main article: Memniq
This page gives an extensive description of Memniq morphological features.
Numerals
The numeral system relies on a mixed system of decimal base and a vigesimal base.
The first ten cardinal numbers are noun-like forms on their own:
| țe̥ʔu | |
| iʔẙq | |
| emqi̥ | |
| anḁ̈ŕ | |
| fḁ̈nu | |
| yťŕḁ̈ | |
| iħśü̥ | |
| ʔe̥ći | |
| ḁtjö | |
| po̥ʔi |
Numerals from 11 to 17 are built with the construction po̥ʔi + NUM:
| poʔițe̥ʔu | |
| poʔiʔẙq | |
| poʔemqi̥ | |
| poʔanḁ̈ŕ | |
| poʔyťŕḁ̈ | |
| poʔifḁ̈nu | |
| poʔiħśü̥ |
As it can be seen, if the numeral begins with a vowel, the final vowel of po̥ʔi is dropped.
Numerals 18 and 19 are irregularly built from the numeral 20:
| iʔquʔḁ̥tru | |
| țeʔuʔḁtru |
The numerals for 20 is a noun-like form on their own:
| ʔḁtru |
Numerals for 30, 50, 70 and 90 are built with the construction i̥pʔa + NUM:
| ipʔemqi̥ | |
| ipʔafḁ̈nu | |
| ipʔiħśü̥ | |
| ipʔḁtjö |
As it can be seen, if the numeral begins with a vowel, the final vowel of i̥pʔa is dropped.
Numerals for 40, 60 and 80 are built with the construction ʔtḁr + 2 / 3 / 4:
| ʔtariʔẙq | |
| ʔtaremqi̥ | |
| ʔtaranḁ̈ŕ |
The numerals for (one) hundred and (one) thousand are noun-like forms on their own:
| u̥ncu | |
| ëțnẙt |
The numerals for the multiples of hundreds and thousands are built with the construction no̥cu / țnë̥to + NUM:
| nociʔẙq | țnëtiʔẙq | |
| nocemqi̥ | țnëtemqi̥ | |
| nocanḁ̈ŕ | țnëtanḁ̈ŕ | |
| nocufḁ̈nu | țnëtofḁ̈nu | |
| nocyťŕḁ̈ | țnëtyťŕḁ̈ | |
| nociħśü̥ | țnëtiħśü̥ | |
| nocuʔe̥ći | țnëtoʔe̥ći | |
| nocḁtjö | țnëtḁtjö |
As it can be seen, if the numeral begins with a vowel, the final vowels of no̥cu and țnë̥to are dropped.
Composite numbers are built by linking them with the conjunction ka, and, in descending order:
- 1985: ëțnẙt ka nocḁtjö ka ʔtaranḁ̈ŕ ka fḁ̈nu
All cardinal numerals up to these forms are treated as adjective-like forms. They decline according to their adjoining nouns in case, but they do not agree in number. Numerals do decline only in singular number. However, numeral are placed almost always before their adjoining nouns. In later texts they can be found also after their nouns.
The numeral for “million” is formed from the word ëțnẙt. Numbers above the millions have no name and are specified by the lesser numerals.
| țë̥nt |
This form is treated as a regularly declinable noun, with an external plural:
| emqi̥ țë̥ntëj | |
| ʔḁtru fḁ̈nu țë̥ntëj |
Nouns adjoining such numerals are not preceded by any preposition and are declined in the case required by their syntactical role in the sentence, as the numerals themselves:
iʔẙqoʔ țë̥ntëjoʔ o̥ćnuhoʔ to two millions people
Ordinal numerals are formed by adding the ordinal ending -iju/-ju to the cardinal numeral form, with some irregularities:
| țe̥ʔiju | |
| iʔẙqiju | |
| emqi̥ju | |
| anḁ̈ŕiju | |
| fḁ̈niju | |
| yťŕḁ̈ju | |
| iħśü̥ju | |
| ʔe̥ćiju | |
| ḁtjöju | |
| po̥ʔiju | |
| poʔițe̥ʔuju | |
| poʔiʔẙqiju | |
| iʔquʔḁ̥triju | |
| ʔḁtriju | |
| ipʔemqi̥ju | |
| u̥nciju | |
| nocyťŕḁ̈ju | |
| ëțnẙtiju | |
| țnëtḁtjöju |
If the numeral form is composite, the ending is added only to the last numeral form:
- 25th: ʔatru ka fänuju
