Saturday, 10 September 2016

Writing a Diary 10 (big numbers)

Big numbers
In dealing with expensive purchases and dates we need to have big numbers. You can go up to 200 counting in scores (20s). However large the number, it is followed by a singular noun, unless <a> of  is used in which case you do need the plural noun.
140  
seyth ügens
160  
eth ügens
50
hanter-cans
100  
cans (m)
200  
dew cans (not mutated)
300  
trei cans (not mutated) or
trei hans (mutated)[1]
1000
mil (f)
2000
diw mil (not mutated) or
diw vil (mutated)
3000
teyr mil or
tremmil
4000
peder mil or
pedermil
10,000
molla
1,000,000 
milvil or
mylyon
40,000 Cornish men
dewgens mil Kernow

         
When dealing with big complex figures, you may use the number without breaking it up, followed by <a> plus the plural noun, e.g.:
599 houses

pemp cans ha nownjek ha pajar ügens a dreven
3,400 fish 

tremmil ha pajar cans a buskes
£1.3 M

üdn poynt trei milvil a bensow    
                  
Dates can be treated as in English, using hundreds, or as conventional numbers, using thousands and hundreds:
1947
nownjek cans seyth ha dewgens 
mil, naw cans seyth ha dewgens
1959
nownjek hanter-cans ha naw 
mil, naw cans, nownjek ha dewgens
2027
ügens, seyth warn ügens 
diw mil, seyth warn ügens        




[1] Late Cornish mutates less than Middle Cornish

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