Counting in Aukan

Language overview

Aukan language, also known as Ndyuka and Djuka, is an English-based creole language spoken by the Ndyuka people of Suriname, which counts about 22,000 speakers. Ndyuka can be written in Latin script, but also in the Afaka script (afaka sikifi), a syllabary devised in 1910 by Afáka Atumisi, with 56 letters. It is the only script designed for a creole language actually in use.

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

Aukan 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, namely wan [1], tu [2], dii [3], fo [4], feifi [5], sigisi [6], seibin [7], aitin [8], and neigin [9].
• Numbers from eleven to nineteen are formed regularly by saying the word for ten (tin), then the coordinator na (and, at), and the digit unit, except for eleven and twelve: elufu (or tinawan) [11], twalufu (or tinatu) [12], tin na dii [13], tin na fo [14], tin na feifi [15], tin na sigisi [16], tin na seibin [17], tin na aitin [18], and tin a neigin [19].
• Tens are formed by prefixing the plural form of the word for ten (tenti) with its multiplier digit, except for ten and twenty: tin [10], twenti [20], diitenti [30], fotenti [40], feifitenti [50], sigisitenti [60], seibintenti [70], aitintenti [80], and neigintenti [90].
• Compound numbers above twenty are formed by putting the ten, then the coordinator a (and, at), and the unit digit separated with a space (e.g.: twenti a wan [21], diitenti a siksi [36]).
• Hundreds are formed by setting the multiplier digit, then the word for hundred (ondoo) separated with a space: wan ondoo [100], tu ondoo [200], dii ondoo [300], fo ondoo [400], feifi ondoo [500], sigisi ondoo [600], seibin ondoo [700], aitin ondoo [800], and neigin ondoo [900].
• Compound hundreds are formed by linking the hundred and the following ten or unit with the conjunction anga (with, and) (e.g.: wan ondoo anga wan [101], tu ondoo anga tin na fo [214]).
• Thousands are formed by setting the multiplier digit, then the word for thousand (dunsu) separated with a space: wan dunsu [1,000], tu dunsu [2,000], dii dunsu [3,000], fo dunsu [4,000], feifi dunsu [5,000]…
• The word for million is miliyun.

Write a number in full in Aukan

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

Source

• Aukan - English dictionary

English-based creoles and pidgins

Aukan, Sranan Tongo, and Tok Pisin.

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.