====== Numerals and quantifiers ===== As nouns Standard [[Nûrlâm]] do not have grammatical category of [[grammar_number|number]], numerals and quantifier words are used more often than in majority of real world languages for the purpose of clarification. Numbers in Black Speech have no inflection in case or any other grammar form. However some case suffixes have special meaning (see below). They can be used alone without noun in place of subject or object. Numerals precede nouns even in [[black_speech|Classical Black Speech]] ([[ring-verse|"ash nazg …"]]). As you can see, numerals require Nominative or Accusative case (unlike Russian or Finnish which require genitive and partitive case accordingly). However it's recommended to place numbers //after// noun if it contains [[clitics|clitic]] case [[adpositions|postpositions]]. In other words numerals generally precede subjects and objects in accusative but follow objects in other cases. Nûrlâm uses decimal numeral system (10 as base) as in majority of real world and in Sindarin language. Quenya has duodecimal system (base 12), but there is no reason to copy this feature, archaic for Middle-Earth, into Black Speech. ------------------------- ===== Basic numbers ===== The ordinary counting numbers (cardinals) are given in the table below: {{page>include:numbers}} Negative particle "nar" (no) is used to express zero. There is no special words for greater numbers. ---------------------------------------------- ==== Forming of numbers greater than 10 ==== Numbers from 11 to 19 are formed as //nu(k)// with //-k-// at the joint of the words being often reduced for better pronunciation. 11 and 12 have no special words. ^ Number | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | ^ Nûrlâm | nukash | nukrul | nukrig | nukhant | nukrâk | nukink | nukudug | nuskri | nukrith | Multiples of ten are formed as //nuk//: ^ Number | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | ^ Nûrlâm | krulnuk | krignuk | hantnuk | krâknuk | inknuk | udugnuk | skrinuk | krithnuk | Hundreds are formed regularily as //tusk//. Similarly thousands are made as //mink//. Millions can be expressed as //minkmink// (lit. thousands of thousand). The word "agh" (and) separates every exponent of ten. === Example === To translate the number 16384 into Black Speech we express it as: (10 + 6)x1000 + 3x100 + 80 + 4. Thus it becomes "nukink mink agh krigtusk agh skrinuk agh hant". ---------------------------------- ==== Numbers and plural nouns ==== As all nouns are plural by default in Standard Nûrlâm, the word "ash" (one) has special meaning. It denotes that noun is singular, so it's used very often and sometimes translated into English with indefinite article "a/an". In colloquial speech, where nouns become singular and grammatical category of number was added (with plural suffix //-û// or //-z//), any number greater than one makes the noun plural. Anyway numerals affects verbs in 3rd [[grammar_person|person]] in both stages of language. ----------------------- ===== Other forms ===== //Ordinal// numbers are formed by adding suffix //-ûrz// therefore technically they are [[grammar_adjective|adjectives]]. The only special form of ordinal is //âshûrz// ("the first") with first //a// becoming long. Ordinals are also used to express //fractions// together with noun in genitive. Example: //ash krigûrz gaub// = one third of fruit. Please notice that phrase "one of three fruits" is translated as "ash krig gaub" or better "ash gaub krig" (lit. one of fruits three) //Multiplicatives// are formed by making an [[grammar_adverb|adverb]] using the suffix //-arz// (so //krul__arz__// = two times/twice). //Distributive// numbers are formed by instrumental [[grammar_case|case]] suffix //-irzi//, e.g. //hant__irzi__// = by four(s), //ash__irzi__// = one by one. //Subsets// are formed by putting the noun/pronoun in [[case_genitive|genitive case]] without changing the cardinal number ("I see three of them" = "Dakin krig tak__ob__"). ----------------------- ===== Quantifiers ===== Some words (usually adjectives and indefinite pronouns) are used instead of exact numbers. They behave like adjectives or adverbs. Single-syllable quantifiers may become clitic joined to the end of the word, but it's recommended to place them before described words. Because Standard Nûrlâm lacks grammatical category of number, quantifiers are used frequently for clarification of number. Black Speech don't distinguish countable and uncountable nouns, so phrases like "__much__ water", "__a lot of__ meat" and "__many__ ropes" will be translated using the same word "mak" as "__mak__ nîn", "__mak__ âps" and "__mak__ krimp". Common words include: //mak// (many, much, lot), //mûd// (few, some), //ûk// (all). More quantifier words can be found in articles about [[proform|pro-forms]] and word lists. -------------------- ===== See also ===== - [[lexicon:quantity|Numbers and quantifiers]]