Counting in Savosavo
Language overview
Savosavo is a Papuan language that belongs to the Central Solomon languages group. It is spoken on the island of Savo, in the Solomon Islands by about 3,000 native speakers. Savosavo is considered as Definitely Endangered due to its low literacy rate, and is rarely used in writing, mostly in letters, notes, and notices to the public.
Savosavo numbers list
- 1 – ela
- 2 – edo
- 3 – ighiva
- 4 – aghava
- 5 – ara
- 6 – poghoa
- 7 – poghoro
- 8 – kui
- 9 – kuava
- 10 – atale
- 11 – panipiti
- 12 – edonipiti
- 13 – ighivanipiti
- 14 – aghavanipiti
- 15 – aranipiti
- 16 – poghoanipiti
- 17 – poghoronipiti
- 18 – kuinipiti
- 19 – kuavanipiti
- 20 – nebolo
- 30 – ighivaleza
- 40 – aghavaleza
- 50 – aratale
- 60 – poghoatale
- 70 – poghoroatale
- 80 – kuiatale
- 90 – kuavatale
- 100 – pa kela
- 1,000 – pa togha
- one million – pa mola
Savosavo 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 ela (or pade, pa) [1], edo [2], ighiva (or ighia when used as multiplier) [3], aghava [4], ara [5], poghoa [6], poghoro [7], kui [8], and kuava [9].
- Tens are formed starting with the multiplier digit, suffixed with leza for thirty and forty, or by the word for ten ((a)tale) above, ten and twenty being exceptions: atale [10], nebolo [20], ighivaleza [30], aghavaleza [40], aratale [50], poghoatale [60], poghoroatale [70], kuiatale [80], and kuavatale [90].
- Numbers from eleven to nineteen are formed starting with the unit, suffixed with nipiti: panipiti [11], edonipiti [12], ighivanipiti [13], aghavanipiti [14], aranipiti [15], poghoanipiti [16], poghoronipiti [17], kuinipiti [18], and kuavanipiti [19].
- Compound numbers above twenty are formed starting with the ten, then the unit separated with a space (e.g.: nebolo kuava [29], poghoatale kui [68]).
- Hundreds are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for hundred (kela), separated with a space: pa kela [100], edo kela [200], ighia kela (and not ighiva kela) [300], aghava kela [400], ara kela [500], poghoa kela [600], poghoro kela [700], kui kela [800], and kuava kela [900].
- When followed by a ten or a unit, the word for hundred (kela) is suffixed with gha (e.g.: edo kelagha poghoatale kuava [269]).
- Thousands are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for thousand (togha), separated with a space: pa togha [1,000], edo togha [2,000], ighia togha [3,000], aghava togha [4,000], ara togha [5,000], poghoa togha [6,000], poghoro togha [7,000], kui togha [8,000], and kuava togha [9,000].
- When followed by a hundred, a ten or a unit, the word for thousand (togha) is suffixed with gha (e.g.: poghoro toghagha poghoa kela [7,600]).
- Millions are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for million (mola), separated with a space: pa mola [1 million], edo mola [2 million], ighia mola [3 million]…
Write a number in full in Savosavo
Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Savosavo. 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 Savosavo
by Claudia Wegener, editors de Gruyter Mouton (2012)
[ Amazon.com]
Trans-New Guinea languages
Abui, Huli, Lavukaleve, Ndom, Savosavo, Sawila, Tobelo, Tolaki, and Western Pantar.
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.