Counting in Timbisha

Language overview

Forty-two in Timbisha Timbisha (Nümünangkawih, or Panamint), also written as Tüpisa, is a Native American language belonging to the Uto-Aztecan language family, and more specifically to the Numic branch. It is the language of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, who have lived in the Death Valley area of North America for over a thousand years. In pre-contact times, there were probably no more than 500 speakers of Timbisha. Today, there are probably around 20 speakers living in California and Nevada. The name of the language, Timbisha, is an anglicized spelling of Tüpisa, which literally means “rock paint” and refers to the abundance of red ochre in the Death Valley region.

Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 999 in Timbisha. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

Timbisha numbers list

  • 1 – sümüttün
  • 2 – wahattün
  • 3 – pahittün
  • 4 – wattsüwitün
  • 5 – manükitün
  • 6 – naapaitün
  • 7 – taattsüwitün
  • 8 – woosüwitün
  • 9 – wanükkitün
  • 10 – süümootün
  • 11 – süümooyüntü sümüttüm ma to’engkünna
  • 12 – süümooyüntü wahattüm ma to’engkünna
  • 13 – süümooyüntü pahittüm ma to’engkünna
  • 14 – süümooyüntü wattsüwitüm ma to’engkünna
  • 15 – süümooyüntü manükitüm ma to’engkünna
  • 16 – süümooyüntü naapaitüm ma to’engkünna
  • 17 – süümooyüntü taattsüwitüm ma to’engkünna
  • 18 – süümooyüntü woosüwitüm ma to’engkünna
  • 19 – süümooyüntü wanükkitüm ma to’engkünna
  • 20 – wahamootün
  • 30 – pahimootün
  • 40 – watsümootün
  • 50 – manükimootün
  • 60 – naapaimootün
  • 70 – taattsüwimootün
  • 80 – woosüwimootün
  • 90 – wanükkimootün
  • 100 – sümüseentu

Timbisha 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: sümüttün [1], wahattün [2], pahittün or paittün [3], wattsüwitün [4], manükitün or manikitün [5], naapaitün [6], taattsüwitün [7], woosüwitün [8], and wanikkitün or wanükkitün [9]. The digits end with the absolutive suffix -tün.
  • Tens are compound numbers formed with the digit multiplier base plus mo’o (hand) and one of the absolutive suffixes, either -tün, -yüntün or no. Thus, each ten has three different forms: süümootün / süümooyüntün / süümoono [10], wahamootün / wahamooyüntün / wahamoono [20], pahimootün / pahimooyüntün / pahimoono [30], watsümootün / watsümooyüntün / watsümoono [40], manükimootün / manükimooyüntün / manükimoono [50], naapaimootün / naapaimooyüntün / naapaimoono [60], taattsüwimootün / taattsüwimooyüntün / taattsüwimoono [70], woosüwimootün / woosüwimooyüntün / woosüwimoono [80], and wanükkimootün / wanükkimooyüntün / wanükkimoono [90].
  • Compound numbers are formed by starting with the ten suffixed with -yüntü (optional for numbers between eleven and nineteen), then then unit it its object form, followed with the word ma (with) and to’engkünna (come out with/for): (süümooyüntü) wahattüm ma to’engkünna [12], pahimooyüntü sümüttüm ma to’engkünna [31].
  • Hundreds are formed by suffixing the root of the multiplier digit with -seentu: sümüseentu [100], wahaseentu [200], pahiseentu [300], wattsüwiseentu [400], manükiseentu [500], naapaiseentu [600], taattsüwiseentu [700], woosüwiseentu [800], and wanükkiseentu [900].
  • When compound, hundreds are followed with the verb naatu (to be) (e.g.: sümüseentu naatu sümüttüm ma to’engkünna [101], sümüseentu naatu wahamootün ma to’engkünna [120]).

Write a number in full in Timbisha

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

Tümpisa (Panamint) Shoshone dictionary Tümpisa (Panamint) Shoshone dictionary
, editors University of California Press (1989)

Source

  • Tümpisa (Panamint) Shoshone grammar. Vol. 115, by Jon Philip Dayley, Univerisy of California Press (1989)

Uto-Aztecan languages

Central Tarahumara, Hopi, and Timbisha.

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.