Counting in Castithan

Language overview

Forty-two in Castithan The Castithan language (Kastíthanu) has been designed by David J. Peterson for the Syfy TV series Defiance, aired from April 2013. He also developed the Indojisnen, the Irathient and the Kinuk’aaz languages for the same series, and is already known for the Dothraki language of Game of Thrones. Spoken by the Castithan people, one of the Votan races, it is predominantly head-final (like German, or Japanese, as opposed to English or Irathient), lightly inflectional and tending towards isolating. Its numeral system is vigesimal, and its writing system, the fajizwalino, which means “revered characters”, is complex and irregular.

Castithan numbers list

  • 120 – ave
  • 220 – kama
  • 320 – dune
  • 420 – sure
  • 520 – jale
  • 620 – vyengga
  • 720 – woga
  • 820 – stala
  • 920 – ime
  • A20 – china
  • B20 – adho
  • C20 – zhena
  • D20 – meno
  • E20 – shebo
  • F20 – piro
  • G20 – gava
  • H20 – gamba
  • I20 – hapa
  • J20 – umo
  • 1020 – suda
  • 2020 – kamasta
  • 3020 – dunista
  • 4020 – surista
  • 5020 – jalista
  • 6020 – vyenggasta
  • 7020 – wogasta
  • 8020 – stalasta
  • 9020 – imista
  • 10020 – chinasta
  • 11020 – adhosta
  • 12020 – zhenasta
  • 13020 – menosta
  • 14020 – shebosta
  • 15020 – pirosta
  • 16020 – gavasta
  • 17020 – gambasta
  • 18020 – hapasta
  • 19020 – umosta

The vigesimal system

The Castithan language follows a vigesimal numeral system, which is a base 20 system. To better understand this numeral system, let’s start with a more familiar one: the decimal system. In the decimal system (or base-10), we have ten digits, from zero to nine. When we add 1 (one) to 9 (nine), we get 10 (ten), or the unit 1 (one) followed by 0 (zero). This system is positional (the digits represent the units, and their rank the matching power of ten). Thus, 132 decomposes in 100 + 30 + 2 = 1*102 + 3 *101 + 2 *100. This system is also known as a positional decimal numeral system.
Base-20 uses digits from 0 to 19. Its first ten is twenty in decimal (2010 = 1020), the base is noted in subscript. The decomposition of a vigesimal number (in a positional system) is the same as the one of a decimal number, only the base changes: (132)20 = 1*202 + 3 *201 + 2 *200. If we carry it out, we get the matching decimal number, here 461.

Castithan numerals

Zero (0 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
0 20
One (1 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
1 20
Two (2 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
2 20
Three (3 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
3 20
Four (4 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
4 20
Five (5 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
5 20
Six (6 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
6 20
Seven (7 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
7 20
Eight (8 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
8 20
Nine (9 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
9 20
Ten (10 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
10 20
Eleven (11 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
11 20
Twelve (12 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
12 20
Thirteen (13 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
13 20
Fourteen (14 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
14 20
Fifteen (15 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
15 20
Sixteen (16 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
16 20
Seventeen (17 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
17 20
Eighteen (18 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
18 20
Nineteen (19 <sub>20</sub> ) in Castithan
19 20

Castithan 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).

  • The Castithan digits from zero to nineteen (or nine in base 20) are: kanu [010], ave [110], kama [210], dune [310], sure [410], jale [510], vyengga [610], woga [710], stala [810], ime [910], china [1010], adho [1110], zhena [1210], meno [1310], shebo [1410], piro [1510], gava [1610], gamba [1710], hapa [1810], and umo [1910].
  • The Castithan tens are formed by adding the suffix -asta to the multiplier digit, except for ten: suda [1020/2010], kamasta [2020/4010], dunista [3020/6010], surista [4020/7010], jalista [5020/8010], vyenggasta [6020/10010], wogasta [7020/12010], stalasta [8020/14010], imista [9020/16010], chinasta [10020/18010], adhosta [11020/20010], zhenasta [12020/22010], menosta [13020/24010], shebosta [14020/26010], pirosta [15020/28010], gavasta [16020/30010], gambasta [17020/32010], hapasta [18020/34010], and umosta [19020/36010].
  • The compound numbers are formed by putting the unit after the ten, separated a space (exp.: suda ave [2110], suda dune [2310]).

Articles

David J. Peterson David J. Peterson

After his linguistics studies at University of California, David J. Peterson has been chosen by HBO to create the Dothraki language for its series Game of Thrones. He then invented many other languages for television, the movie industry, and literature.

Source

Defiance languages

Castithan, Indojisnen, Irathient, and Kinuk’aaz.

Other supported languages

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