Numbers

There are five sets of numbers: generic, human, multiplicative, locative, and abstract. The five sets of numbers one through ten are listed below. “all” and “many” are listed at the end since they are used much as the numbers are and have the same five sets of forms.

	Generic	Human	Multiplicative	Locative	Abstract
1	lhuk'ui	'ilhunah	'ilhoh	lhudah	'ilhuk'ui
2	nankoh	nana	nat	nada	nawh
3	tagi	tana	tat	tada	tawh
4	dunghi	dineh	dit	dida	diwh
5	skwunlai	skwunlaneh	skwunlat	skwunlada	skwunla
6	lhk'utagih	lhk'utaneh	lhk'utat	lhk'utada	lhk'utak'i
7	lhtak'alt'i	lhtak'alt'ineh	lhtak'alt'it	lhtak'alt'ida	lhtak'alt'i
8	lhk'utdunghi	lhk'utdunghineh	lhk'udit	lhk'utdida	lhk'utdunghi
9	lhuk'ui hooloh	'ilhoh hoolohneh	lhuk'ui hooloh	lhuk'ui hoolohda	lhuk'ui hooloh
10	lanezi	lanezineh	lanezi	lanezida	lanezi
all	t̲s̲'iyai	t̲s̲'iyanne		t̲s̲'iyada	t̲s̲'iyawh
many	lhai	lhaneh	lhat	lhada	lhada

The generic series, illustrated by (1), is used for counting most physical objects. It is also this series that is used for counting in the abstract, e.g. when reciting the numbers, and for telephone numbers, addresses, and so forth.

(1)	Skwunlai	dustl'us	nintainin'ai.
	five-generic	dollars	he-lost
	He lost five dollars.

The human series is used for counting human beings (2). As is generally the case in Carrier, the grammatical category of human beings includes dogs (3) as well as such other animals as the speaker considers sufficiently human-like.

(2)	Nane	ts'ekoo	ghus̲da.
	two-human	women	he is married to
	He is married to two women.

(3)	Tane	lhike	sghatelelh.
	three-human	dogs	he is going to give me
	He is going to give me three dogs.

The multiplicative series often refers to numbers of times, as in (4). However, it is also used with some units of measurement, including periods of time such as weeks (5).

(4)	'Awet	Hudson Bay	whut'i-a	inle	dit	la	nenaznintez.
	now	Hudson Bay	where he lives	it was	four-mult	about	we slept
	We camped where the Hudson's Bay factor lives for about four nights.

(5)	Tat	nanilhghel	'et	uzdalt̲s̲'i.
	three-mult	week	there	we sat
	We were there for three weeks.

The locative series is used for counting sets of discrete areas. Appropriate uses of the locative forms are illustrated in (6) and (7), where what is counted are a number of discrete areas.

(6)	Nghun-i	yoh	t̲s̲'iyada	dakelh	yoh	'uhoont'oh.
	These	houses	all-locative	Indian	houses	it is
	These houses are all Indian houses.

(7)	Sba	bukeyoh	lhada	yoh	whuz̲dla.
	my father	his trapline	many-locative	house	they are located
	On my father's trapline there are many houses. (NT John 14.1)

The abstract series is used for counting things that have no physical form, such as kinds and ideas, as in (8).

(8)	Nankoh	ot'en-i	delch'ulh	ootaskulh.
	two-abstract	kinds	cloth	I will buy
	I am going to buy two kinds of material.

The decades are formed by combining lanezi “ten” with the multiplicative form of one of the smaller numbers. For example, twenty is nat lanezi “twice ten”. Hundreds are formed on the same principle. For example, two hundred is nat lanezi lanezi. More complex numbers are formed using 'o'un “plus”. For example, 321 is tat lanezi lanezi 'o'un nat lanezi 'o'un lhuk'ui “300 plus 20 plus 1”.

The non-generic forms are combined to form larger numbers in the same way as the generic numbers, using multiplicative forms followed by lanezi to form the decades and hundreds, and 'o'un to combine the several powers of ten. However, only the last component takes on the distinctive form of the non-generic series; even when they form part of a complex non-generic number, the decades and hundreds are always in the generic form. For example, the human form of 34 is tat lanezi 'o'un dine, literally “30 plus 4”. dineh is the human form of four, but tat lanezi “thirty” is the generic form.

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