Counting in Moloko

Language overview

Forty-two in Moloko The Moloko language (Məlokwo) belongs to the Chadic languages family, and more precisely to its Biu–Mandara, or Central Chadic, branch. It is spoken in northern Cameroon, in the Mayo-Sava department. Moloko counts about 8.500 speakers.

Moloko numbers list

  • 1 – bǝlen
  • 2 – cew
  • 3 – makar
  • 4 – mǝfaɗ
  • 5 – zlom
  • 6 – mǝko
  • 7 – sǝsǝre
  • 8 – slalakar
  • 9 – holombo
  • 10 – kǝro
  • 11 – kǝro hǝr bǝlen
  • 12 – kǝro hǝr cew
  • 13 – kǝro hǝr makar
  • 14 – kǝro hǝr mǝfaɗ
  • 15 – kǝro hǝr zlom
  • 16 – kǝro hǝr mǝko
  • 17 – kǝro hǝr sǝsǝre
  • 18 – kǝro hǝr slalakar
  • 19 – kǝro hǝr holombo
  • 20 – kokǝr cew
  • 30 – kokǝr makar
  • 40 – kokǝr mǝfaɗ
  • 50 – kokǝr zlom
  • 60 – kokǝr mǝko
  • 70 – kokǝr sǝsǝre
  • 80 – kokǝr slalakar
  • 90 – kokǝr holombo
  • 100 – sǝkat
  • 1,000 – dǝbo

Moloko 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: bǝlen [1], cew [2], makar [3], mǝfaɗ (or ǝwfaɗ) [4], zlom [5], mǝko [6], sǝsǝre [7], slalakar [8], and holombo [9].
  • Tens are formed starting with the word for ten (singular: kǝro, plural: kokǝr), followed by the multiplier digit separated with spaces, except for ten itself: kǝro [10], kokǝr cew [20], kokǝr makar [30], kokǝr mǝfaɗ [40], kokǝr zlom [50], kokǝr mǝko [60], kokǝr sǝsǝre [70], kokǝr slalakar [80], and kokǝr holombo [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, then the word hǝr, and the unit separated with spaces (e.g.: kǝro hǝr slalakar [18], kokǝr zlom hǝr bǝlen (51], kokǝr holombo hǝr makar [93]).
  • Hundreds are formed starting with the word for hundred (sǝkat), followed by the multiplier digit separated with a space, except for one hundred: sǝkat [100], sǝkat cew [200], sǝkat makar [300], sǝkat mǝfaɗ [400], sǝkat zlom [500], sǝkat mǝko [600], sǝkat sǝsǝre [700], sǝkat slalakar [800], and sǝkat holombo [900].
  • Thousands are formed starting with the word for thousand (dǝbo), followed by the multiplier digit separated with a space, except for one thousand: dǝbo [1,000], dǝbo cew [2,000], dǝbo makar [3,000], dǝbo mǝfaɗ [4,000], dǝbo zlom [5,000], dǝbo mǝko [6,000], dǝbo sǝsǝre [7,000], dǝbo slalakar [8,000], and dǝbo holombo [9,000].
  • Between hundred and ten or unit, but also between thousand and hundred, ten or unit, the word nǝ is used (e.g.: sǝkat nǝ bǝlen [101], sǝkat cew nǝ kokǝr makar hǝr zlom [235], dǝbo nǝ bǝlen [1,001], dǝbo cew nǝ sǝkat mǝfaɗ [2,400]).
  • The expression for one hundred thousand is dǝbo dǝbo sǝkat [100,000 or 105] (literally thousand thousand hundred).
  • The expression for one million is dǝbo dǝbo dǝbo [1 million or 106] (literally thousand thousand thousand).

Write a number in full in Moloko

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

A Grammar of Moloko A Grammar of Moloko
by , editors Saint Philip Street Press (2020)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Source

  • A grammar of Moloko, by Dianne Friesen, Language Science Press (2017)

Chadic languages

Hausa, and Moloko.

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.