Moses-Columbia numbers

Language overview

Forty-two in Moses-Columbia Moses-Columbia (Nxaʔamxcín), also known as Wenatchee-Columbian Salish or Columbia-Wenatchi, is a Southern Interior Salish language that ultimately belongs to the Salishan languages family. It is spoken in the Colville Indian Reservation, in north central Washington. It is composed of two dialects: Columbia (Sinkiuse, Columbian) and Wenatchi (Wenatchee, Entiat, Chelan). Even though the language is officially extinct with the passing of her last native speaker, Pauline Stensgar, in May 2023, it is still taught in the Salish School of Spokane and is currently being revitalized.

Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 100 in Moses-Columbia. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

Moses-Columbia numbers list

1 – naqš
2 – tq̓aw̓š
3 – kaʔłáš
4 – múšəš
5 – čilkšt
6 – x̌ʷəčmákšt
7 – šišp̓l̓k̓
8 – twin
9 – x̌n̓ut
10 – xə́ƛ̓xəƛ̓t
11 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tʔal̓náqš
12 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓tq̓áw̓š
13 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓kaʔłáš
14 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓múšəš
15 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tʔal̓čílkšt
16 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓x̌ʷəčmákšt
17 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓šíšp̓l̓k̓
18 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓twin̓
19 – xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓x̌n̓út
20 – šalxə́ƛ̓xəƛ̓t
30 – kaʔłhákšt
40 – məšhákšt
50 – čəlkštákšt
60 – x̌ʷəčmakštákšt
70 – šəšp̓l̓k̓ákšt
80 – tw̓n̓akšt
90 – x̌n̓takšt
100 – x̌čəčákšt

Moses-Columbia 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 naqš [1], tq̓aw̓š [2], kaʔłáš [3], múšəš [4], čilkšt [5], x̌ʷəčmákšt [6], šišp̓l̓k̓ [7], twin [8], and x̌n̓ut [9].
Tens are formed starting with the multiplier unit root with some vocal alterations, and ending with the suffix ákšt, except for ten and twenty: xə́ƛ̓xəƛ̓t [10], šalxə́ƛ̓xəƛ̓t [20], kaʔłhákšt [30], məšhákšt [40], čəlkštákšt [50], x̌ʷəčmakštákšt [60], šəšp̓l̓k̓ákšt [70], tw̓n̓akšt [80], and x̌n̓takšt [90].
Compound numbers ending with one or five are formed starting with the ten, directly followed by the affix ʔal̓, and the unit with no space (e.g.: xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tʔal̓náqš [11], šalxə́ƛ̓xəƛ̓tal̓čílkšt [25]).
Compound numbers ending with any other unit than one and five are formed starting with the ten, directly followed by the affix l̓, and the unit with no space (e.g.: xəƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓kaʔłáš [13], šalxə́ƛ̓xəƛ̓tl̓twin̓ [28]).
In all cases, the tonic accent moves from the ten to the unit.
The word for hundred is x̌čəčákšt [100].

Write a number in full in Moses-Columbia

Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Moses-Columbia. 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

Mid Columbia Salishans: Okanagan Teit Lakes
by Jay Miller, editors Independently published (2021)
[ Amazon.com]

Source

N̓xaʔm̓xčín 1: A Beginning Course in Wenatchee-Columbian Salish (pdf), by Qʷiy̓mátkʷ (Pauline Covington Stensgar), 2014

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.

Counting in Moses-Columbia