Typology and numbers question

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So Haleza Grise
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Typology and numbers question

Post by So Haleza Grise »

I know that there are typological correlations with head-directionality: for example, head-final languages often tend to be dependent-marking and mark case on NPs, whereas head-initial languages can often be head-marking and rely on verb agreement.

I remember reading somewhere that number systems can be correlated with head-initial vs. head-final as well. Is it the case that languages that are head-final are more likely to list the smaller number in a compound first? (e.g. "nine and twenty")? I am sure I have read that before somewhere but I don't know where.
Duxirti petivevoumu tinaya to tiei šuniš muruvax ulivatimi naya to šizeni.

M Mira
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Re: Typology and numbers question

Post by M Mira »

Just an anecdote: the archetypical head-final language, Japanese, is little-endian(smallest number last) in both its native and Sinitic numeral systems.

cromulant
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Re: Typology and numbers question

Post by cromulant »

Numeral systems are overwhelmingly big-endian, regardless of head directionality, though some languages are little-endian only with regard to tens and ones. Malagasy is the only pure little-endian language I know of.
M Mira wrote:Just an anecdote: the archetypical head-final language, Japanese, is little-endian(smallest number last) in both its native and Sinitic numeral systems.
That makes them big-endian, like most languages.

M Mira
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Re: Typology and numbers question

Post by M Mira »

You're right, I was thinking in a left-to-right order, not distance-from-head, which indeed makes more sense.

Vijay
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Re: Typology and numbers question

Post by Vijay »

Isn't Sanskrit also purely little-endian?

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