Gwandara language
Encyclopedia
Gwandara is a West Chadic language
, and the closest relative of Hausa
. Its several dialects are spoken in northern Nigeria
by about 30,000 people.
The Nimbia dialect has a duodecimal
numeral system, whereas other dialects, such as Karshi below, have decimal systems:
It is thought that Nimbia acquired its duodecimal system from the Plateau languages
to the east. It is duodecimal even to powers of base twelve:
West Chadic languages
The West Chadic languages of the Afro-Asiatic family are spoken principally in Niger and Nigeria. They include Hausa, the most populous Chadic language and the major language of West Africa.-Languages:...
, and the closest relative of Hausa
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
. Its several dialects are spoken in northern Nigeria
Northern Nigeria
Northern Nigeria is a geographical region of Nigeria. It is more arid and less densely populated than the south. The people are largely Muslim, and many are Hausa...
by about 30,000 people.
The Nimbia dialect has a duodecimal
Duodecimal
The duodecimal system is a positional notation numeral system using twelve as its base. In this system, the number ten may be written as 'A', 'T' or 'X', and the number eleven as 'B' or 'E'...
numeral system, whereas other dialects, such as Karshi below, have decimal systems:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ten | eleven | twelve | |
| Nimbia | da | bi | ugu | furu | biyar | shide | bo'o | tager | tanran | gwom | kwada | tuni |
| Karshi | da | bi | uku | huru | biyari | shida | bakwe | takushi | tara | gom | gom sha da | gom sha bi |
It is thought that Nimbia acquired its duodecimal system from the Plateau languages
Plateau languages
-Characteristics:Only some of the languages have nominal classes, as the Bantu languages have, where in others these have eroded. The large numbers of consonants in many languages is due to the erosion of noun-class prefixes....
to the east. It is duodecimal even to powers of base twelve:
| tuni mbe da | 13 | (dozen and one) |
| gume bi | 24 | (two dozen) |
| gume bi ni da | 25 | (two dozen and one) |
| gume kwada ni kwada | 143 | (eleven dozen and eleven) |
| wo | 144 | (gross Gross Gross may refer to:*Gross , before deductions*Gross , a counting unit equal to 144*Gross *Gross, Nebraska, a US village*Gross Island, Canada*Gross!, a television show on Discovery Channel-See also:*Grosz... ) |
| wo bi | 288 | (two gross) |