How to count in Nengone
Enter a number and get it written in full in Nengone.
Language overview
The Nengone language belongs to the Austronesian language family, and more specifically to the New Caledonian languages. Spoken on islands of Maré and Tiga of the Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia, it counts about 8,000 speakers.
Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 30 in Nengone. Please contact us if you can help us counting up from that limit.
Nengone numbering rules
- Digits from one to five are specific words, and digits beyond five, from six to nine, are formed by adding the four first ones to five with the word ne (and, plus), while reducing the digit number to its root element: sa [1], rewe [2], tini [3], ece [4], sedong [5], sedong ne sa [6] (5 and 1), sedong ne rew [7] (5 and 2), sedong ne tin [8] (5 and 3), and sedong ne ec [9] (5 and 4).
- Tens follow a vigesimal system: ruenin [10] (litterally, the two hands), sarengom [20] (one man), sarengom ne ruenin [30] (20+10, or one man and two hands).
- Compound numbers from eleven to fourteen are formed by adding the digits one to four to the word for ten with the word ne (and, plus): ruenin ne sa [11], ruenin ne rew [12], ruenin ne tin [13], and ruenin ne ec [14]. Fifteen is adenin (some hands). From sixteen to nineteen, the compound numbers add the digits one to four to the word for fifteen: adenin ne sa [16], adenin ne rew [17], adenin ne tin [18], and adenin ne ec [19].
- Compound numbers from twenty-one to twenty-five formed by adding the digits one to four to the word for twenty with the word ne (and, plus): sarengom ne sa [21], sarengom ne rew [22], sarengom ne tin [23], sarengom ne ec [24], and sarengom ne ec [25]. From twenty-six to twenty-nine, the formation is the same (ten + unit), but sedong ne is contracted to sedo and the separating space with the unit disappears: sarengom ne sedosa [26] (instead of sarengom ne sedong ne sa), sarengom ne sedorew [27] (instead of sarengom ne sedong ne rew), sarengom ne sedotin [28], and sarengom ne sedoec [29].
Books
Numbers list
| 1 – sa 2 – rewe 3 – tini 4 – ece 5 – sedong 6 – sedong ne sa 7 – sedong ne rew 8 – sedong ne tin 9 – sedong ne ec | 10 – ruenin 11 – ruenin ne sa 12 – ruenin ne rew 13 – ruenin ne tin 14 – ruenin ne ec 15 – adenin 16 – adenin ne sa 17 – adenin ne rew 18 – adenin ne tin | 19 – adenin ne ec 20 – sarengom 30 – sarengom ne ruenin |
Links
- Nengone (New Caledonian languages Academy) (in French)
Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages
Mussau-Emira, Nêlêmwa, Nengone, Paicî, and Tongan (telephone-style).
Other supported languages
Supported languages by families
As the other currently supported languages are too numerous to list extensively here, please select a language from the following select box, or from the full list of supported languages.