Counting in Araki

Language overview

Forty-two in Araki Araki (raki) is an Oceanic language of the Malayo-Polynesian language family, that belongs to the Northern Vanuatu branch. Spoken in the island of Araki, south of Espiritu Santo Island in Vanuatu, Araki is a nearly extinct language which counted 8 speakers in 2012.

Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 1,000 in Araki. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

Araki numbers list

  • 1 – mo hese
  • 2 – mo dua
  • 3 – mo rolu
  • 4 – mo v̈ari
  • 5 – mo lim̈a
  • 6 – mo haion
  • 7 – mo haip̈iru
  • 8 – mo haualu
  • 9 – mo haisua
  • 10 – mo sagavulu
  • 11 – mo sagavul comana mo hese
  • 12 – mo sagavul comana mo dua
  • 13 – mo sagavul comana mo rolu
  • 14 – mo sagavul comana mo v̈ari
  • 15 – mo sagavul comana mo lim̈a
  • 16 – mo sagavul comana mo haion
  • 17 – mo sagavul comana mo haip̈iru
  • 18 – mo sagavul comana mo haualu
  • 19 – mo sagavul comana mo haisua
  • 20 – mo gavul dua
  • 30 – mo gavul rolu
  • 40 – mo gavul v̈ari
  • 50 – mo gavul lim̈a
  • 60 – mo gavul haion
  • 70 – mo gavul haip̈iru
  • 80 – mo gavul haualu
  • 90 – mo gavul haisua
  • 100 – mo gavul sagavulu
  • 1,000 – mo gavul sagavulu sagavulu

Araki 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).

  • Digits from one to nine are rendered by specific words preceded by the subject clitic mo: mo hese [1], mo dua [2], mo rolu [3], mo v̈ari [4], mo lim̈a [5], mo haion(o) [6], mo haip̈iru [7], mo haualu [8], and mo haisua [9].
  • Tens are formed starting by the clitic mo, then a short version of the word for ten (gavul instead of sagavul), followed by the multiplier digit, except for ten itself: mo sagavul [10], mo gavul dua [20], mo gavul rolu [30], mo gavul v̈ari [40], mo gavul lim̈a [50], mo gavul haion [60], mo gavul haip̈iru [70], mo gavul haualu [80], and mo gavul haisua [90].
  • The compound numbers from eleven to nineteen are formed stating the ten, then the unit linked with the word comana (e.g.: mo sagavul comana mo v̈ari [14], mo sagavul comana mo haisua [19]). From twenty-one to ninety-nine, the word comana disappears (e.g.: mo gavul v̈ari mo dua [42], mo gavul lim̈a mo rolu [53]).
  • Hundreds are formed starting with the expression for hundred (mo gavul sagavulu) followed by the multiplier digit without the mo clitic, except for one hundred itself: mo gavul sagavulu [100], mo gavul sagavulu dua [200], mo gavul sagavulu rolu [300], mo gavul sagavulu v̈ari [400], mo gavul sagavulu lim̈a [500], mo gavul sagavulu haion [600], mo gavul sagavulu haip̈iru [700], mo gavul sagavulu haualu [800], and mo gavul sagavulu haisua [900].
  • The expression for thousand is mo gavul sagavulu sagavulu, or litterally ten times one hundred.

Write a number in full in Araki

Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Araki. 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

Araki: A Disappearing Language of Vanuatu Araki: A Disappearing Language of Vanuatu
by , editors Australian National University (2002)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Source

  • Araki: A disappearing language of Vanuatu, Alexander François, Pacific Linguistics Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. The Australian National University. Canberra, 2002

Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages

Araki, Biak, Cèmuhî, Māori, Marshallese, Mussau-Emira, Mwotlap, Nêlêmwa, Nengone, Paicî, Rapa Nui, Tahitian, Tongan (telephone-style), and Yuanga-zuanga.

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.