Counting in Lango

Language overview

Forty-two in Lango Lango (Lwo), also known as Lwoo, or Leb-Lango, is a Southern Luo dialect, the Southern Luo being a dialect cluster of Uganda and neighboring countries, formed of mutually intelligible dialects. It is spoken by the Lango people of Uganda, and counts about 2.1 million speakers.

Lango numbers list

  • 1 – acɛl
  • 2 – aryɔɔ
  • 3 – adek
  • 4 – aŋwɛn
  • 5 – abic
  • 6 – abicɛl
  • 7 – abiro
  • 8 – aboro
  • 9 – abongwɛn
  • 10 – apar
  • 11 – apar wiɛ acɛl
  • 12 – apar wiɛ aryɔɔ
  • 13 – apar wiɛ adek
  • 14 – apar wiɛ aŋwɛn
  • 15 – apar wiɛ abic
  • 16 – apar wiɛ abicɛl
  • 17 – apar wiɛ abiro
  • 18 – apar wiɛ aboro
  • 19 – apar wiɛ abongwɛn
  • 20 – pyer aryɔɔ
  • 30 – pyer adek
  • 40 – pyer aŋwɛn
  • 50 – pyer abic
  • 60 – pyer abicɛl
  • 70 – pyer abiro
  • 80 – pyer aboro
  • 90 – pyer abongwɛn
  • 100 – mia
  • 1,000 – tutumia
  • one million – milion

Lango 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: acɛl [1], aryɔɔ [2], adek [3], aŋwɛn [4], abic [5], abicɛl [6], abiro [7], aboro [8], and abongwɛn [9].
  • Tens are formed starting with the word pyer, followed by the multiplier digit separated with a space, except for ten, irregular: apar [10], pyer aryɔɔ [20], pyer adek [30], pyer aŋwɛn [40], pyer abic [50], pyer abicɛl [60], pyer abiro [70], pyer aboro [80], and pyer abongwɛn [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, then the word wiɛ, and the unit separated with a space (e.g.: pyer aryɔɔ wiɛ abiro [27], pyer abic wiɛ abicɛl [56], pyer aboro wiɛ adek [83]).
  • Hundreds are formed starting with the word for hundred (mia), followed by the multiplier digit separated with a space: mia (acɛl) [100], mia aryɔɔ [200], mia adek [300], mia aŋwɛn [400], mia abic [500], mia abicɛl [600], mia abiro [700], mia aboro [800], and mia abongwɛn [900].
  • In compound hundreds, hundred and ten are linked with the word ì (e.g.: mia acɛl ì pyer aŋwɛn wiɛ abicɛl [146], mia adek ì pyer abongwɛn wiɛ abicɛl [396]).
  • Thousands are formed starting with the word for thousand (tutumia), followed by the multiplier digit separated with a space: tutumia (acɛl) [1,000], tutumia aryɔɔ [2,000], tutumia adek [3,000], tutumia aŋwɛn [4,000], tutumia abic [5,000], tutumia abicɛl [6,000], tutumia abiro [7,000], tutumia aboro [8,000], and tutumia abongwɛn [9,000].
  • Millions are formed starting with the word for million (milion), followed by the multiplier digit separated with a space: milion [1 million], milion aryɔɔ [2 millions], milion adek [3 millions]…

Write a number in full in Lango

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

Source

  • Practical Lango Grammar, by Bruno Carollo, University of Trieste (1991)

Eastern Sudanic languages

Acholi, Lango, and Luo.

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.