INTLEXION AND CONSTEUCTION OF WORDS. 



40 



§ 213. This custom of counting by cowries also gives rise to the following, 



Cardinals o'f Price. 



It will be observed that up to ogodi;i,/or^y, the first vowel of each numeral is 

 long. The reason of this is that okaq, edii, &c., are contractions of ow6 kdq, ow6 

 ed:^i, 07ie coiory^ two cowries^ &c. 



Construction of Cardinals. 



§ 2 1 4. The cardinal units, from two to ten inclusive, have ' m ' prefixed to them when 

 they belong to nouns expressed or understood, as, enia m^wa, ten men. Eni, one, 

 is used only in counting. The word ' kdq ' is employed when the noun is ex- 

 pressed; as, 6nia kdq, one man; and. ' okaq ' when the noun is not expressed; as, 

 okaq de, one came. 



The ' m ' prefixed to tlie numerals is probably a contraction of mft, to catch, used in the sense of amounting 

 to. When an African speaks in English, he generally says, he catch ten, he catch twenty, for there were 

 ten, dc. 



§ 215. The round numbers, as ogiiq, ogboq, ogodii, &c., are generally placed be- 

 fore the nouns to which they belong ; as, ogiiq enia, twenty men. The other numerals 

 follow the noun; as, ^nia medii, two men; hms. metalel6gboq, thirty-three msn. 



ORDINALS. 



§ 216. The ordinals, from one to nineteen, are formed by prefixing 'ek' or 'ek' 

 (the choice being determined by the law of euphonic concord) to the cardinals ; as, 

 okim, first ; ekedi;i, second ; eketa, third, &g. But the vowel of the prefix is often 

 omitted ; as, kini, kedii, keta. These ordinals follow the noun ; as, odi;o ekedzi 

 or kedi;i, the second day. 



DISTRIBUTIVES. 



§ 21Y. The distributive numerals are of two kinds. 



1. Distributives of number or quantity, formed as follows : 



a. By doubling the cardinals which commence with ' m ' ; as, medi;imedi;i, t/wo 

 by two / metameta, three hy three. 



6. By reduplicating the two first letters of such cardinals as do not commence 

 with ' m ' ; as, okokaq, one ly one ; ogoguq, twenty Jnj twenty. 



2. Distributives of price, formed by reduplicating the two first letters of the 

 cardinals of price; as, okokaq, one cowry each; ediedi;!, two cowries each. 



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