862 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



The psychological reason for the preference is not altogether clear. 

 The fact that the word for one box stood as a single term for a 

 definite high number may have had something to do with its adapta- 

 tion. The word for ten hundred, on the other hand, represents 

 ten groups of high numbers, each group having the value of a distinct 

 number of units. To use one word that would stand for a high 

 decimal number may have seemed easier than to express the same 

 thing by the use of smaller integers in multiple form. As a matter 

 of fact, very little is done with numerations that extend far into the 

 thousands; yet, in spite of the little effort to count with high num- 

 bers, it is within the power of the language to express any number 

 desired. To express ten thousand, and have it generally under- 

 stood, is to say — 



ne' gutimakA''kw^ me'dase'nw^ mi'tAse^nw% which is, in the order 

 as the words come, one box, it is taken ten times, that is 

 ITS sum 

 A number like forty thousand two hundred and thirteen 

 would be — 



ne'gutimaka^'Jcw^ nyd'wdhitAgitA'swimalca^'Jcw^ nl' cwd'hwa'n"' 

 medd' swineswi'n"' . The words in their order mean one box, 



FORTY IS THE NUMBER OF TIMES THE BOX IS TAKEN, TWO 



HUNDRED PLUS, TEN THREE ALSO [TaswI is the samc as the 

 initial stem tASwi. — T. M.] 



The more intelligent express such high numbers in shorter terms. 



Cardinals occupy initial place in composition when they stand in 

 an adjective relation: as — 



ne' guti' nentw"- one man 

 nl'cwikwd^g''' two women 

 negu'tihVw"' he is alone 

 nl'ciwA^g^ they are two 



Cardinals are used freely as nouns, and it will be observed that in 

 this connection they do not inflect for number or gender. 



ne'ndwa'w^ ne'guP I saw one animate (object) 

 ne'ndf^ ne'guP I saw one inanimate (object) 

 nepyd'ndWA^g^ nyd'w^ I fetched four animate (objects) 

 ne'fydt^ nyd'w^ I fetched four inanimate (objects) 



§ 51, Ordinals 



The ordinals are combinations with the initial parts derived from 

 cardinals; but the first ordinal has a separate, distinct word. Begin- 

 §51 



