Counting in Micmac

Language overview

Forty-two in Micmac The Micmac language (Mi’kmaq or Míkmaq) belongs to the algic languages family, and more precisely to the algonquian family. Micmac is spoken by the Mi’kmaq nation in the the states of Maine and Massachusetts, in the United States New England region, and in Atlantic Canada and Quebec Gaspe Peninsula. It counts about 10,000 speakers.

Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 1,000,000 in Micmac. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

Micmac numbers list

  • 1 – ne’wt
  • 2 – ta’pu
  • 3 – si’st
  • 4 – ne’w
  • 5 – na’n
  • 6 – asukom
  • 7 – l’uiknek
  • 8 – ukmuljin
  • 9 – pesqunatek
  • 10 – newtiska’q
  • 11 – newtiska’q jel ne’wt
  • 12 – newtiska’q jel ta’pu
  • 13 – newtiska’q jel si’st
  • 14 – newtiska’q jel ne’w
  • 15 – newtiska’q jel na’n
  • 16 – newtiska’q jel asukom
  • 17 – newtiska’q jel l’uiknek
  • 18 – newtiska’q jel ukmuljin
  • 19 – newtiska’q jel pesqunatek
  • 20 – tapuiska’q
  • 30 – nesiska’q
  • 40 – newiska’q
  • 50 – naniska’q
  • 60 – asukom te’siska’q
  • 70 – l’uiknek te’siska’q
  • 80 – ukmuljin te’siska’q
  • 90 – pesqunatek te’siska’q
  • 100 – kaskimtlnaqn
  • 1,000 – pituimtlnaqn
  • ten thousand – pituimtlnaqnepikatun
  • one million – kji-pituimtlnaqn

Smith-Francis orthography

This page uses the Smith-Francis orthography designed in 1974 by Bernie Francis and Doug Smith. They developed a new orthography based on the phonemic principle, while using the previous orthography by Father Pacifique, a Capuchin missionary, and Silas T. Rand, who worked with the Mi’kmaw people in the 1800s. Finally completed in 1980, the Smith-Francis system is currently in use throughout Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, parts of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Micmac 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 specific words: ne’wt [1], ta’pu [2], si’st [3], ne’w [4], na’n [5], asukom [6], l’uiknek [7], ukmuljin [8], and pesqunatek [9].
  • Tens from ten to fifty are formed by suffixing the multiplier unit with -iska’q, and by making the multiplier unit followed with the full word te’siska’q separated with a space the tens from sixty to ninety: newtiska’q [10], tapuiska’q [20], nesiska’q [30], newiska’q [40], naniska’q [50], asukom te’siska’q [60], l’uiknek te’siska’q [70], ukmuljin te’siska’q [80], and pesqunatek te’siska’q [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed by stating the ten, then the word jel (and, plus), then the unit digit (e.g.: newtiska’q jel ne’wt [11], asukom te’siska’q jel ukmuljin [68]).
  • Hundreds are formed by stating the multiplier digit before the word for hundred (kaskimtlnaqn), except for one hundred: kaskimtlnaqn [100], ta’pu kaskimtlnaqn [200], si’st kaskimtlnaqn [300], ne’w kaskimtlnaqn [400], na’n kaskimtlnaqn [500], asukom kaskimtlnaqn [600], l’uiknek kaskimtlnaqn [700], ukmuljin kaskimtlnaqn [800], and pesqunatek kaskimtlnaqn [900].
  • Thousands are formed by stating the multiplier digit before the word for thousand (pituimtlnaqn), except for one thousand: pituimtlnaqn [1,000], ta’pu pituimtlnaqn [2,000], si’st pituimtlnaqn [3,000], ne’w pituimtlnaqn [4,000], na’n pituimtlnaqn [5,000], asukom pituimtlnaqn [6,000], l’uiknek pituimtlnaqn [7,000], ukmuljin pituimtlnaqn [8,000], and pesqunatek pituimtlnaqn [9,000]. Ten thousand is a specific word, namely pituimtlnaqnepikatun [10,000].
  • When composing scale numbers, the word te’siska’q is added after the scale number word (e.g.: kaskimtlnaqn te’siska’q jel ne’wt [101], ta’pu kaskimtlnaqn te’siska’q jel asukom te’siska’q [260], pituimtlnaqn te’siska’q jel ne’wt [1,001], pituimtlnaqnepikatun te’siska’q jel ne’wt [10,001]).
  • One million is kji-pituimtlnaqn.

Write a number in full in Micmac

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

English-Micmac Dictionary: Dictionary of the Language of the Micmac Indians Who Reside in Nova Scotia New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton English-Micmac Dictionary: Dictionary of the Language of the Micmac Indians Who Reside in Nova Scotia New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton
by , editors Laurier Books Ltd (2007)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

Mi’kmaq: People of the Maritimes Mi’kmaq: People of the Maritimes
by , editors Down East Books (1997)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

The Mi’kmaq Anthology The Mi’kmaq Anthology
by , editors Down East Books (1997)
[Amazon.com Amazon.com]

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.