Counting in Skolt Sami
Language overview
Skolt Sami (sääˊmǩiõll, or Nuõrttsää’m) belongs to the Uralic family, in the Finno-Ugric group. It is spoken in Finland (in the village of Sevettijärvi) by about 400 speakers.
Skolt Sami numbers list
- 1 – õhtt
- 2 – kue’htt
- 3 – koumm
- 4 – nellj
- 5 – viit
- 6 – kutt
- 7 – čiččâm
- 8 – kääu’c
- 9 – ååu’c
- 10 – lååi
- 11 – õtmlo
- 12 – kuâtmlo
- 13 – konmlo
- 14 – nenjmlo
- 15 – vitmlo
- 16 – kutmlo
- 17 – činmlo
- 18 – käcmlo
- 19 – åcmlo
- 20 – kuâhttlo
- 30 – koummlc
- 40 – nelljlo
- 50 – vittlo
- 60 – kuttlo
- 70 – čičmlo
- 80 – kä’hcclo
- 90 – å’hcclo
- 100 – čua’tt
- 1,000 – tohhât
- one million – õhtt miljon
Skolt Sami numbering rules
Now that you’ve had a gist of the most useful numbers, let’s move to the writing rules for the tens, the compound numbers, and why not the hundreds, the thousands and beyond (if possible).
- Numbers from zero to ten are specific words: noll [0], õhtt [1], kue’htt (or kuåhht) [2], koumm (or koum, kolmm) [3], nellj [4], viit (or vitt) [5], kutt [6], čiččâm [7], kääu’c [8], ååu’c (or ååhh’c) [9], and lååi (or låå’k) [10].
- From eleven to nineteen, the numbers are formed by suffixing the unit root with a form of the word for ten (-lo from lååi, ten): õtmlo [11], kuâtmlo [12], konmlo [13], nenjmlo [14], vitmlo [15], kutmlo [16], činmlo [17], käcmlo [18], and åcmlo [19].
- The tens are formed by suffixing the multiplier digit root with the root of the word for ten (-lo), with the exception of ten itself: lååi [10], kuâhttlo (or kuåtlõk) [20], koummlc [30], nelljlo [40], vittlo [50], kuttlo [60], čičmlo [70], kä’hcclo [80], and å’hcclo [90]. However, another form exists where the word for ten (lååi) suffixes the multiplier root from thirty and above: koumlååi [30], nelljlååi [40], viitlååi [50], kuttlååi [60], čiččâmlååi [70], kää’hhclååi [80], and åå’hhclååi [90].
- Compound numbers are formed by saying the ten, then the digit with no space (e.g.: kuåtlõkkuå’t [22], kuåtlõkčiččâm [27]).
- Hundreds are formed by setting the multiplier unit before the word for hundred (čua’tt), separated with a space, with the exception of one hundred itself: čua’tt (čue’tt, čue’đ) [100], kue’htt čua’tt [200], koumm čua’tt [300], nellj čua’tt [400], viit čua’tt [500], kutt čua’tt [600], čiččâm čua’tt [700], kääu’c čua’tt [800], and ååu’c čua’tt [900].
- Thousands are formed by setting the multiplier unit before the word for thousand (tohhât) with no space, with the exception of one thousand itself: dohat (or tohhât) [1,000], kue’httohhât [2,000], koummtohhât [3,000], nelljtohhât [4,000], viittohhât [5,000], kutttohhât [6,000], čiččâmtohhât [7,000], kääu’ctohhât [8,000], and ååu’ctohhât [9,000].
- Millions are formed by setting the multiplier unit before the word for million (miljon) separated with a space: miljon [1 million], kue’htt miljon [2 million], koumm miljon [3 million], nellj miljon [4 million], viit miljon [5 million]…
Write a number in full in Skolt Sami
Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Skolt Sami. Will you guess how to write a number in full? Enter a number and try to write it down in your head, or maybe on a piece of paper, before displaying the result.
Books
The Sami People: Traditions in Transitions
by Veli-Pekka Lehtola, editors University of Alaska Press (2005)
[ Amazon.com]
The Skolt Lapps Today
by Tim Ingold, editors Cambridge University Press (1977)
[ Amazon.com]
Parlons Lapon : Les Sames, langue et culture
by Jocelyne Fernandez-Vest, editors L’Harmattan (1997)
[ Amazon.com]
Sources
Sami languages
Inari Sami, Lule Sami, Northern Sami, Pite Sami, Skolt Sami, Southern Sami, and Ume Sami.
Other supported languages
As the other currently supported languages are too numerous to list extensively here, please select a language from the full list of supported languages.