{"id":18440,"date":"2020-08-17T09:47:50","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T13:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pimsleur.com\/?p=18440"},"modified":"2025-11-21T11:50:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T16:50:04","slug":"counting-systems-in-different-languages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/counting-systems-in-different-languages\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s The Deal With Numbers? Counting Systems in Different Languages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Four-Twenty and Nineteen Problems\u2026 But French Numbers Ain\u2019t One! <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Counting systems in\ndifferent languages<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question for all the\nFrench speakers out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the deal with\nnumbers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you only studied\na little French in high school, you\u2019ll know exactly what we\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numbers in French are, for English Speakers, a Bit of a Nightmare<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Things are pretty\nstraightforward when counting. Quarante<\/em> (40), cinquante<\/em> (50), soixante\n<\/em>(60)\u2026 it all follows a logical pattern. That is, until you reach 69. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, suddenly everything\nchanges. 71 \u2013 which you\u2019d expect to be septante-et-un<\/em> based on how preceding\nnumbers are formed \u2013 suddenly becomes soixante-et-onze, <\/em>or \u2018sixty-and-eleven\u2019.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

75, or soixante-quinze<\/em>,\nis \u2018sixty-fifteen\u2019. 80 is not much simpler: quatre-vingts<\/em> (four twenties).\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And 98? Well. Let\u2019s\njust say that once you\u2019ve learned quatre-vingt-dix-huit <\/em>\u201cfour-twenty-ten-eight\u201d\nyou don\u2019t easily forget it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just French,\neither. Learners of Welsh, Irish, Danish, and Basque will also notice that\nnumbers in these languages don\u2019t follow the conventional tens + units<\/em>\npattern that English does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Counting and Numbering Systems in the World’s Languages<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like anything in\nlinguistics, there\u2019s a reason for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peoples throughout\nhistory developed different systems for counting things. The Maya, for example,\ndevised a robust system to count and calculate large numbers using only three\ncharacters: a line, a dot, and a shell, which represents zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because different civilizations\napproached counting things in different ways, the principles that they used to\nname numbers also differ. In many cases, the modern-day language continues to reflect\nthe former systems, even if the current counting system has adapted to fit\nmodern conventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Base 10 Numbers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The basic principle behind\na numbering system is a base<\/em>: units are counted individually until they\nreach the \u2018base\u2019 number. Numbers larger than the base numeral are then\nexpressed using multiples of the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most prevalent\nsystem in use today, which English numbers are derived from, is the base 10 <\/em>or\ndecimal <\/em>system. <\/em>In base 10, large numbers are expressed in\nmultiples of 10, with remainder units added on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly what\n\u2018-ty\u2019 describes in the words \u2018sixty\u2019, \u2018seventy\u2019, and \u2018eighty\u2019. It\u2019s a\nlinguistic marker to express the multiples of 10: \u2018six tens\u2019 and \u2018seven tens\u2019,\netc. The word \u2018eighty-two\u2019 is the shortened way of saying \u2018eight tens and two\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s all there is to\nit, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, not so much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all languages work\non the base-10 (or decimal) system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although today\u2019s world\nis well acquainted with base 10 through widespread use in currency and the\nmetric system, many languages spoken today pre-date the almost universal use of\nbase-10 in maths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These languages, such\nas French, still feature the remnants of ancient counting systems in modern words\nfor numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common\nalternative numbering framework is the vigesimal<\/em>, or base 20 system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Base 20<\/strong> (Vigesimal) Numbers <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The word \u2018vigesimal<\/strong>\u2019 comes from the Latin word viginiti<\/em>, meaning \u2018twenty\u2019, which is also the origin of the French number vingt <\/em>(20). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Base 20 numbering works\nin a similar way to base 10, except numbers are based in multiples of twenty.\nThen, the groups of 20 themselves are counted to express numbers 21 and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, rather than express numbers using 1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, and so on, with each category representing 10 x the previous category, vigesimal systems use 1, 20, 400, 8,000, and 160,000, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In vigesimal\nnumbering, each number from 1-20 has its own name. Numbers over 20 are communicated\nin a compound form using this structure: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[multiples of 20] + [remainder]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expressed in vigesimal\nterms, the number for 72 would be described as \u201cthree twenties and twelve\u201d.  Here\u2019s an example of it in use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Basque number for 44\nis berrogeita lau<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s break it down\nand translate it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

berr-ogei-ta-lau<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[two-twenties-and-four]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very few languages now\nuse a fully vigesimal system. Yup\u2019ik, a language spoken in western and\nsouthwestern Alaska, is one of the surviving vigesimal numbering systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hybrid Decimal-Vigesimal Systems or \u2018Systems Within Systems\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because the decimal\nsystem is so entrenched in the world via currency and the metric system, many base-20\nlanguages borrow elements of base-10 numbering systems to create a hybrid decimal-vigesimal\nsystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basque is a perfect\nexample of this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take the number\n256. A traditional base 20 system would express this number in terms of 20s.\nFor a real-world example, a Yoruba speaker would say \u2018thirteen-twenties minus four\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Yoruba, Basque has\n\u2018borrowed\u2019 the unit of 100 from the decimal system for easily expressing\nhundreds, and then uses base 20 to represent numbers under 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in Basque, 256\nwould be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

berr-eun\neta berr-ogei-ta-hama-sei<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[two-hundred] and [two-twenty-and-ten-six]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[decimal] + <\/em>[vigesimal] + [decimal] <\/p>\n\n\n\n

French is another\nexample of a hybrid system. Nowadays, only remnants of the French vigesimal\nsystem remain between numbers 70-99, found in constructions like quatre-vingt-quinze<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Belgium and Switzerland,\nFrench speakers no longer use these traces of base 20, instead adopting a fully\ndecimal system. In Li\u00e8ge or Geneva, it\u2019s most common to hear nonante-sept <\/em>(ninety-seven)\ninstead of quatre-vingt-dix-sept <\/em>(four-twenty-ten-seven).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least twenty\nlanguages use hybrid decimal-vigesimal systems today, including Irish, Welsh, and\nDanish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the influence of\nbase-20 systems is not exclusive to any one language family or geographical\nregion, they tend to be found in clusters, due to the ancient vigesimal\ncounting systems of ancient civilizations. Many central American languages\ncontinue to use base 20 elements today thanks to the Mayan influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Numbering Systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Outside of base 10 and\n20, there are a few other numbering systems used in languages spoken today, but\nthese are not common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quinary systems (base\n5) are common in modern Pacific languages, such as Drehu, a language from\nFrench Polynesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ekari language,\nspoken on the island of New Guinea, uses a sexagesimal (base 60) system, with\nbase 20 and 10 also used to identify numbers below 60.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Base 60 was also used\nby the ancient Sumerians in the 3rd<\/sup> millennium BC. In fact, their\nsexagesimal counting system is the reason there are 60 minutes in an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spotting Numbering Systems in Action<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For a fun challenge, why\nnot investigate the numbering system used in the language you are learning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Write out the numbers\n1-20 in your target language, and also the tens 30-100. Look at the\nrelationships between the numbers. Can you see any patterns or repetition in\nhow the numbers are constructed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if, like in\nFrench, the pattern is not universal, you may still be able to identify clues\nthat a non-decimal system influenced the numbering at some point in history. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four-Twenty and Nineteen Problems\u2026 But French Numbers Ain\u2019t One! Counting systems in different languages Question for all the French speakers out there. What\u2019s the deal with numbers? Even if you only studied a little French in high school, you\u2019ll know exactly what we\u2019re talking about. Numbers in French are, for English Speakers, a Bit of Read More >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":29691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,166],"tags":[4384,58,4147,4444],"class_list":["post-18440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language-learning","category-science-of-language","tag-etymology","tag-language-learning-2","tag-science","tag-word-nerd"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat\u2019s The Deal With Numbers? 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Counting Systems in Different Languages"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/","name":"The Pimsleur Language Blog","description":"Learning another language doesn't have to be hard.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Pimsleur Language Programs","url":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pimsleur_Primary_Logo_Blue_RGB.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Pimsleur_Primary_Logo_Blue_RGB.png","width":340,"height":150,"caption":"Pimsleur Language Programs"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Pimsleur","https:\/\/x.com\/pimsleur","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pimsleur\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/pimsleur"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7dc6552b0c1c481088bdace8d33c9779","name":"Siobhan Wood","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/31b8c93d9a9bd903349ff80cf44cc865bfbb14cc222136aa470646938ff720d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/31b8c93d9a9bd903349ff80cf44cc865bfbb14cc222136aa470646938ff720d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Siobhan Wood"},"description":"Siobhan Wood is a writer, proofreader, and marketing specialist who works with language schools. 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