Numbers
Numerals and mathematical operations are particles.
Cardinal Numbers
The number system in High Lulani uses balanced sesquidecimal (base 15), and so numbers are written with the positive digits (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7), their negative counterparts (
One-digit Numbers
Here are the names for the one-digit numbers:
qihha | 0 | |
xita | 1 | |
ra | 2 | |
kifi | 3 | |
nuru | 4 | |
guhi | 5 | |
’usi | 6 | |
salumi | 7 |
qihha | ||
mullu | ||
kannu | ||
bila | ||
missu | ||
laffi | ||
jusiti | ||
haki |
The full form qihha
Two-digit Numbers
Numbers between 1
Round numbers, i.e.: numbers ending with a single zero, use the suffix -hha
All other two digit numbers, except for 22, are formed by juxtaposing the tens digit with the units.
The word for 22, the exception, is ranira
Three- and Four-digit Numbers
Three- and four-digit numbers are divided into the number of hundreds, and the remainder. This remainder is always the last two digits of the number.
The word for 100 is takki
In any of these cases, if the remainder is zero, it is left off.
Higher and Lower Order Numbers
When a number is written out in digits, each set of four digits from the fractional point makes up a group. The group furthest from the fractional point may not have this full quota of digits. An index marker notes the identity of a particular group.
The index marker is composed of the prefix pa-
The index marker is suffixed to the group word.
paxita
para
pakifi
pamullu
samissu paxita
There is nothing preventing an index-marked number being used within another index marker, although the second pa- is usually geminated.
pappaxita
papappaxita
Non-integral Numbers
Reading Mantissas
There are two ways to read a mantissa. One uses the above method of index markers, and the second reads out the digits in pairs or individually. These methods are often combined: using index markers for the first digit groups, and then continuing to read digits separately.
Repeating and Reflecting Strings
All rational numbers end with a repeating string of digits. For some numbers, this string is “0”. In non-zero cases, the word tuni
There are also numbers for which the repeating string can be cut in half, with digits in the second half being the negative of the digits in the first half. For these, only the first half is read out, with the word mala
paqihha xita tuni guhira
paqihha xita mala guhira
Fractions
The suffix -ki
Other Numbers
Other numbers include:
fixi
du’ami
’u
Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers are used to mark position in a line or a list.
The first two ordinal numbers are suppletive, that is, they are not related to their cardinals. All other ordinals are formed by adding the suffix -uju
bijju
matta
kifuju
nuruju
salumuju
saqikkuju
saxituju
takkuju
Using Numbers
Ordinal and cardinal numbers are used in noun phrases, and are inserted between any case markers or adpositions, and the noun.
Numbers can be suffixed to a noun to denote not the quantity, but a quality.
The number ra