Counting in Innu

Language overview

Forty-two in Innu The Innu language (Innu-aimun), also known as Montagnais, belongs to the Cree language group of the Algonquian language family. Member of the Cree–Montagnais–Naskapi dialect continuum, it is spoken by the Innu people, or Montagnais, in the northeastern portion of the province of Quebec and in some eastern portions of Labrador, Canada. The Innu-aimun language counts about 10,000 speakers.

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

Innu numbers list

  • 1 – peikᵘ
  • 2 – nishᵘ
  • 3 – nishtᵘ
  • 4 – neu
  • 5 – patetat
  • 6 – kutuasht
  • 7 – nishuasht
  • 8 – nishuaush
  • 9 – peikushteu
  • 10 – kutunnu
  • 11 – kutunnu ashu peikᵘ
  • 12 – kutunnu ashu nishᵘ
  • 13 – kutunnu ashu nishtᵘ
  • 14 – kutunnu ashu neu
  • 15 – kutunnu ashu patetat
  • 16 – kutunnu ashu kutuasht
  • 17 – kutunnu ashu nishuasht
  • 18 – kutunnu ashu nishuaush
  • 19 – kutunnu ashu peikushteu
  • 20 – nishunnu
  • 30 – nishtunnu
  • 40 – neunnu
  • 50 – patetat-tatunnu
  • 60 – kutuasht-tatunnu
  • 70 – nishuasht-tatunnu
  • 80 – nishuaush-tatunnu
  • 90 – peikushteu-tatunnu
  • 100 – peikumitashumitannu
  • 1,000 – peikutshishemitashumitannu

Dialectal differences between Sheshatshiu and Natuashish

The numbers presented on this page correspond to the dialect spoken in the Innu reserve of Sheshatshiu in Labrador, which has a population of about 1,700 inhabitants. The Natuashish community, also located in Labrador, has a little over a thousand inhabitants. Dialectal differences are present between the dialects spoken in these two communities. Here are the four numbers which spelling is different from Natuashish: ashutash [6], nishuautash [7], nianeu [8], and peikunnu [10]. The compound numbers formed from them are therefore also different: peikunnu ashu ashutash [16], nishunnu ashu nishuautash [27], nishuautash-tatunnu ashu nishuautash [77], nianeu-tatunnu ashu nianeu [88], ashutash-tatumitashumitannu ashu ashutash [606]…

Innu 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: peikᵘ [1], nishᵘ [2], nishtᵘ [3], neu [4], patetat [5], kutuasht [6], nishuasht [7], nishuaush [8], and peikushteu [9].
  • Tens are formed by suffixing the multiplier digit with -(t)unnu from twenty to forty, then by -tatunnu from fifty to ninety: kutunnu [10], nishunnu [20], nishtunnu [30], neunnu [40], patetat-tatunnu [50], kutuasht-tatunnu [60], nishuasht-tatunnu [70], nishuaush-tatunnu [80], and peikushteu-tatunnu [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, then the word ashu, and the unit (e.g.: kutunnu ashu nishᵘ [12], patetat-tatunnu ashu nishuaush [58], nishuasht-tatunnu ashu patetat [75]).
  • Hundreds are formed by suffixing the multiplier digit with -mitashumitannu from one hundred to four hundred, then by -tatumitashumitannu from five hundred to nine hundred: peikumitashumitannu [100], nishumitashumitannu [200], nishtumitashumitannu [300], neumitashumitannu [400], patetat-tatumitashumitannu [500], kutuasht-tatumitashumitannu [600], nishuasht-tatumitashumitannu [700], nishuaush-tatumitashumitannu [800], and peikushteu-tatumitashumitannu [900].
  • Thousands are formed by suffixing the multiplier digit with -tshishemitashumitannu from one thousand to four thousand, then by -tatutshishemitashumitannu from five thousand to nine thousand: peikutshishemitashumitannu [1,000], nishutshishemitashumitannu [2,000], nishtutshishemitashumitannu [3,000], neutshishemitashumitannu [4,000], patetat-tatutshishemitashumitannu [5,000], kutuasht-tatutshishemitashumitannu [6,000], nishuasht-tatutshishemitashumitannu [7,000], nishuaush-tatutshishemitashumitannu [8,000], and peikushteu-tatutshishemitashumitannu [9,000].

Write a number in full in Innu

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

Grammaire de la langue innue Grammaire de la langue innue
by , editors Presses de l’Université du Québec (2014)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com, Kindle - Amazon.com Kindle - Amazon.com]

Source

Algonquian languages

Innu, Malecite-Passamaquoddy, Menominee, Miami-Illinois, Micmac, Mohegan-Pequot, and Ojibwa.

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.