John Carlos BaezApr 17, 2023

I'm fascinated by the Inuit-Yupik-Unangan languages in Alaska, Canada and Greenland. There are many of these languages: they ring much of the Arctic Ocean. I just learned that they use a base 20 system for numbers, with a 'sub-base' of 5. That is, quantities are counted in scores (twenties) with intermediate numerals for 5, 10, and 15. This makes a lot of sense if you look at your fingers and toes.

But the Inuit didn't have a written form of their number system - until the early 1990s, when high school students in the town of Kaktovik, Alaska invented one! There were just 9 students at this small school, and they all joined in.

They used 5 principles:

• Visual simplicity: The symbols should be easy to remember.

• Iconicity: There should be a clear relationship between the symbols and their meanings.

• Efficiency: It should be easy to write the symbols without lifting the pencil from the paper.

• Distinctiveness: There should be no confusion between this system and Arabic numerals.

• Aesthetics: They should be pleasing to look at.

They decided that the symbol for zero should look like crossed arms, meaning that nothing was being counted.

This was the start of quite a tale!

(1/n)

Show threadSimon BrookeApr 17, 2023
@johncarlosbaez What I find interesting about this is that both English ('the years of a man's life are three score and ten') and French ('quatre vingt huit") traditionally used base twenty counting.
Show threadHighlandLawyerApr 18, 2023
@simon_brooke @johncarlosbaez Gàidhlig was commonly using a vigesimal system until late C20th too; it's only since the 1980s that decimal has really been taught as the standard eg ceathrad instead of dà fhichead
Show threadIain MacGilleBhràithApr 18, 2023

@HighlandLawyer @simon_brooke @johncarlosbaez
Yup and to be clear (“Gàidhlig was commonly using a vigesimal system until late C20th too…”): most older speakers who didn’t learn that system are STILL using ‘àireamhan tradaiseanta’ (traditional numbers, ie vigesimal system) rather than ‘àireamhan ùr’ (new numbers)!
(Suspect you know that!)

Literally speaking to a bodach last night and we have to translate: he teaches me old and I teach him new…

Show threadSimon BrookeApr 18, 2023
@AeonMach @HighlandLawyer @johncarlosbaez I didn't know this - but I'm certainly fascinated to learn it!
Show threadIain MacGilleBhràith
@simon_brooke
Basically if you learn Gaelic for practical use (given prevalence of old system among many older speakers - who are a source of much wisdom and good craic) you have to learn both systems!
Which is fun… ;-)
Apr 18, 2023 at 8:49amWeb