Tyap/Numbering system

We shall take the Tyap numbering system in terms of:

• Ordinal numbers
• Cardinal numbers
• Frequency

Ordinal numbers

Fangnkyang di̱n Tyap: Nla̱mba

Small numbers

Number	Tyap	English
0	Gum, Piit	Zero
1	A̱nyiung/Nyiung/Jhyiung	One
2	A̱feang/Feang/Sweang	Two
3	A̱tat/Tat/Tsat	Three
4	A̱naai/Naai/Nyaai	Four
5	A̱fwuon/Fwuon/Tswuon	Five
6	A̱taa	Six
7	A̱natat	Seven
8	A̱ni̱nai	Eight
9	A̱kubunyiung	Nine
10	Swak	Ten
11	Swak ma̱ng a̱nyiung	Eleven
12	Swak ma̱ng a̱feang	Twelve
13	Swak ma̱ng a̱tat	Thirteen
14	Swak ma̱ng a̱naai	Fourteen
15	Swak ma̱ng a̱fwuon	Fifteen
16	Swak ma̱ng a̱taa	Sixteen
17	Swak ma̱ng a̱natat	Seventeen
18	Swak ma̱ng a̱ni̱nai	Eighteen
19	Swak ma̱ng a̱kubunyiung	Nineteen
20	Nswak nfeang	Twenty

In Tyap, there are three ways of naming numbers one to five. When to use which depends on the class the noun/adjective/pronoun being quantified belongs. Remember, Tyap has six classifiers (definite articles). Please see: here.

For words in Category A and C, use numbers a̱nyiung (1), a̱feang (2), a̱tat (3), a̱naai (4), a̱fwuon (5).

For example, nggwon a̱nyiung (one child), a̱ka̱kwon a̱feang (two trees)

For words in Category B,

in the "HU" Class, use numbers nyiung (1), feang (2), tat (3), naai (4), fwuon (5).

For example, kyikyo nyiung (one leaf), nkyang nfeang (two things). NB: In this class when a plural noun is used, the number receives a nasal prefix n-, especially when the singular form of that plural word belongs to same "HU" Class.

in the "JI" Class, use numbers jhyiung (1), sweang (2), tsat (3), nyaai (4), tswuon (5).

For example, tswa jhyiung (one nut), zam sweang (two boys). NB: In this class when a plural noun is used, the number does not receive any nasal prefix.

Knowing the above numbering from zero to 20, let's count in tens from 30 to 100.

30	Nswak ntat	Thirty
40	Nswak nnaai	Forty
50	Nswak nfwuon	Fifty
60	Nswak a̱taa	Sixty
70	Nswak a̱natat	Seventy
80	Nswak a̱ni̱nai	Eighty
90	Nswak a̱kubunyiung	Ninety
100	Cyi jhyiung	One hundred

In counting other numbers in-between the tens, the format is <TENS> ma̱ng <UNITS>. Replace <UNITS> with a number between one and nine. Replace <TENS> with nswak nfeang, nswak ntat, nswak nnaai, nswak nfwuon, nswak a̱taa, nswak a̱natat, nswak a̱ni̱nai, or nswak a̱kubunyiung. For example, nswak nfeang ma̱ng a̱nyiung translates to twenty one. Your turn! Now practice how to count from zero to ninety-nine.

Large Numbers

Hundreds

Note that what could be termed as the "ancient" counting system used for 1-5 is usually used from 100 till infinity. 1 becomes jhyiung, and no more a̱nyiung. Same thing with the 2,3,4 and 5 placed immediately after cyi, the word for hundred.

100: Cyi jhyiung

101: Cyi ma̱ng nyiung

102: Cyi ma̱ng feang

103: Cyi ma̱ng tat

104: Cyi ma̱ng nyaai

105: Cyi ma̱ng fwuon

106: Cyi ma' taa

107: Cyi ma̱ng natat

108: Cyi ma̱ng ninai

109: Cyi ma̱ng kubunyiung

110: Cyi ma̱ng swak

120: Cyi ma̱ng nswak nfeang

130: Cyi ma̱ng nswak ntat

140: Cyi ma̱ng nswak nyaai

150: Cyi ma̱ng nswak nfwuon

160: Cyi ma̱ng nswak a̱taa

170: Cyi ma̱ng nswak a̱natat

180: Cyi ma̱ng nswak a̱ni̱nai

190: Cyi ma̱ng nswak a̱kubunyiung

200: Cyi sweang

300: Cyi tsat

400: Cyi nyaai

500: Cyi tswuon

600: Cyi a̱taa

700: Cyi a̱natat

800: Cyi a̱ni̱nai (or a̱ri̱nai)

900: Cyi a̱kubunyiung

999: Cyi a̱kubunyiung ma̱ng nswak a̱kubunyiung ma̱ng a̱kubunyiung

Thousands

Hayab (2016:66-67) in his research on Hyam, a related language to Tyap found out that the original word for number 10 is "kop"/kwop, and that the present word used for ten was the de facto word used for twelve or a dozen is "shwak" (in Hyam) or swak (in Tyap).

Due to the growing Hausa/English influence, undoubtedly before 1920 (because Thomas (1920:59) cited an example with Kagoro (Gworok) which, unlike its neighbours the Nungu, Ninzam, S. Mada and Mama, was not using as at then, the duodecimal system), the counting system has taken the shape of the Hausa/English decimal style and the word "kop/kwop" became almost extinct, while the "swak" took its place and misplaced its original meaning, which is twelve, to now mean ten.

With this in mind, when one considers the number "1,000" or cyi kwop jhyiung ("cyi kwop" is spelled one word), one can say that it literally means "hundred ten one" or "100 X 10 X 1".

Below are the modern Tyap Counting style in thousands:

1,000: Cyikwop jhyiung

1,018: Cyikwop jhyiung ma̱ng nswak ma̱ng a̱ni̱nai

1,500: Cyikwop jhyiung ma̱ng Cyi tswuon

2,000: Cyikwop sweang

3,000: Cyikwop tsat

4,000: Cyikwop nyaai

5,000: Cyikwop tswuon

6,000: Cyikwop a̱taa

7,000: Cyikwop a̱natat

8,000: Cyikwop a̱ni̱nai

9,000: Cyikwop a̱kubunyiung

10,000: Cyikwop swak

20,000: Cyikwop Nswak nfeang

30,000 : Cyikwop Nswak ntat

40,000: Cyikwop Nswak nnaai

50,000: Cyikwop Nswak nfwuon

60,000: Cyikwop Nswak a̱taa

70,000: Cyikwop Nswak a̱natat

80,000: Cyikwop Nswak a̱ni̱nai (or nswak a̱ri̱nai)

90,000: Cyikwop Nswak a̱kubunyiung

100,000: Cyikwop cyi jhyiung

200,000: Cyikwop cyi sweang

300,000: Cyikwop cyi tsat

400,000: Cyikwop cyi nyaai

500,000: Cyikwop cyi tswuon

600,000: Cyikwop cyi a̱taa

700,000: Cyikwop cyi a̱natat

800,000: Cyikwop cyi a̱ni̱nai

900,000: Cyikwop cyi a̱kubunyiung

Larger numbers

Millions

1,000,000: Milyon or cyikwop cyikwop jhyiung or simply Cyikwop a̱ka̱feang jhyiung

2,000,000: Milyon sweang

3,000,000: Milyon tsat

4,000,000: Milyon nyaai

5,000,000: Milyon tswuon

6,000,000: Milyon a̱taa

7,000,000: Milyon a̱natat

8,000,000: Milyon a̱ni̱nai

9,000,000: Milyon a̱kubunyiung

10,000,000 : Milyon Swak

20,000,000: Milyon Nswak nfeang

30,000,000: Milyon Nswak ntat

40,000,000: Milyon Nswak nnaai

50,000,000: Milyon Nswak nfwuon

60,000,000: Milyon Nswak a̱taa

70,000,000: Milyon Nswak a̱natat

80,000,000: Milyon Nswak a̱ni̱nai

90,000,000: Milyon Nswak a̱kubunyiung

100,000,000: Milyon cyi jhyiung

200,000,000: Milyon cyi sweang

300,000,000: Milyon cyi tsat

400,000,000: Milyon cyi nyaai

500,000,000: Milyon cyi tswuon

600,000,000: Milyon cyi a̱taa

700,000,000: Milyon cyi a̱natat

800,000,000: Milyon cyi a̱ni̱nai

900,000,000: Milyon cyi a̱kubunyiung

Billions and Trillions

1,000,000,000: Bilyon or Cyikwop cyikwop cyikwop or simply Cyikwop a̱ka̱tat jhyiung

10,000,000,000: Bilyon Swak

100,000,000,000: Bilyon Cyi jhyiung

1,000,000,000,000: Trilyon or cyikwop cyikwop cyikwop cyikwop or simply Cyikwop a̱ka̱naai jhyiung.

10,000,000,000,000: Trilyon Swak

100,000,000,000,000: Trilyon Cyi jhyiung

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