Counting in Comox

Language overview

Forty-two in Comox The Comox language (Qʾomoχws), also known as K’omoks, is a native american language that belongs to the Salishan languages family, and more specifically to the Coast Salish languages. Spoken by the Comox, Sliammon, Klahoose and Homalhco peoples in Comox, British Columbia, Canada, and in the Toba Inlet and Malaspina Peninsula areas of the British Columbia mainland across Georgia Strait, it counts about 400 speakers.

Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 9,999 in Comox. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

Comox numbers list

  • 1 – paʔa
  • 2 – saʔa
  • 3 – čɛlas
  • 4 – mos
  • 5 – θiyɛčɩs
  • 6 – t̓əxəm
  • 7 – tᶿočɩs
  • 8 – taʔačɩs
  • 9 – tɩgiχʷ
  • 10 – opən
  • 11 – ʔopən hekʷ paʔa
  • 12 – ʔopən hekʷ saʔa
  • 13 – ʔopən hekʷ čɛlas
  • 14 – ʔopən hekʷ mos
  • 15 – ʔopən hekʷ θiyɛčɩs
  • 16 – ʔopən hekʷ t̓əxəm
  • 17 – ʔopən hekʷ tᶿočɩs
  • 18 – ʔopən hekʷ taʔačɩs
  • 19 – ʔopən hekʷ tɩgiχʷ
  • 20 – θamšɛ
  • 30 – čɩnuxʷ šɛ
  • 40 – mosaɬ šɛ
  • 50 – θiyɛčɩsaɬšɛ
  • 60 – t̓əχmaɬ šɛ
  • 70 – tᶿočɩsaɬ šɛ
  • 80 – taʔačɩsaɬ šɛ
  • 90 – tɩgixʷaɬ šɛ
  • 100 – paʔa təsɛʔɛč
  • 1,000 – opən təsɛʔɛč

Comox 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: paʔa [1], saʔa [2], čɛlas [3], mos [4], θiyɛčɩs [5], t̓əxəm [6], tᶿočɩs [7], taʔačɩs [8], and tɩgiχʷ [9].
  • The tens are formed by suffixing the root of the multiplier digit with aɬ šɛ, except for ten, twenty and thirty: opən [10], θamšɛ [20], čɩnuxʷ šɛ [30], mosaɬ šɛ [40], θiyɛčɩsaɬšɛ [50], t̓əχmaɬ šɛ [60], tᶿočɩsaɬ šɛ [70], taʔačɩsaɬ šɛ [80], and tɩgixʷaɬ šɛ [90].
  • The teens are formed by stating the word for ten starting with a glottal stop (ʔopən), then the word hekʷ, and the unit digit (e.g.: ʔopən hekʷ paʔa [11], ʔopən hekʷ čɛlas [13]). Other compound numbers are formed by stating the ten, then the word heykʷ and the unit digit (e.g.: θamšɛ heykʷ θiyɛčɩs [25], tᶿočɩsaɬ šɛ heykʷ čɛlɩs [73]).
  • Hundreds are formed by setting the multiplier before the word for hundred (təsɛʔɛč): paʔa təsɛʔɛč [100], saʔa təsɛʔɛč [200], čɛlas təsɛʔɛč [300], mos təsɛʔɛč [400], θiyɛčɩs təsɛʔɛč [500], t̓əxəm təsɛʔɛč [600], tᶿočɩs təsɛʔɛč [700], taʔačɩs təsɛʔɛč [800], and tɩgiχʷ təsɛʔɛč [900].
  • Thousands are tens of hundreds, and formed by setting the multiplier before the word for hundred (təsɛʔɛč): ʔopən təsɛʔɛč [1,000] (10*100), θamšɛ təsɛʔɛč [2,000] (20*100), čɩnuxʷ šɛ təsɛʔɛč [3,000], mosaɬ šɛ təsɛʔɛč [4,000], θiyɛčɩsaɬšɛ təsɛʔɛč [5,000], t̓əχmaɬ šɛ təsɛʔɛč [6,000], tᶿočɩsaɬ šɛ təsɛʔɛč [7,000], taʔačɩsaɬ šɛ təsɛʔɛč [8,000], and tɩgixʷaɬ šɛ təsɛʔɛč [9,000].
  • Compound numbers are formed by linking their components with the word hekʷ (e.g.: təsɛʔɛč hekʷ paʔa [101], ʔopən təsɛ?ɛč hekʷ θamšɛ [1,020]).

Write a number in full in Comox

Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Comox. 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 Comox Valley: Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland and Area The Comox Valley: Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland and Area
by , editors Harbour (2006)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Sliammon Life, Sliammon Lands Sliammon Life, Sliammon Lands
by , editors Talonbooks (1983)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Salishan languages

Comox, Halkomelem, Klallam, Lushootseed, Moses-Columbia, Okanagan, Saanich, Shuswap, and Squamish.

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.