15ta wi shao
At the market
Counting, at last, and Phi counts in threes. This first lesson uses two positive digits and a group-word to take you through eight: ta one, wi two, ta shao one three-group, ta shao ta one three-group plus one, and so on. Between a number and its noun may stand an optional classifier, a small word assigning what is counted to one of four categories: person, living being, detached or crafted object, or idea and event. A classifier can foreground that category, but omitting it is fully grammatical and using it does not guarantee regard. Market day:
SceneI
lo mia kau silawo wepu.lopia lo powea kolua.ta lipha powea. wi lipha powea. ta shao lipha powea.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| ta | ta | one |
| wi | wi | two |
| shao | sha · o | three-group |
| lipha | li · pha | (classifier: living things) |
| powea | po · we · a | egg |
Off to the village, the child counts eggs the whole way: one, two, three, ta, wi, ta shao, one three-group. These eggs are meant for hatching, so the scene chooses lipha. The count remains grammatical with no classifier, which would leave the category unspoken.
SceneII
miona mua silawo nai.wi himo miona mua silawo nai.ta themo tomi. wi themo noru.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| himo | hi · mo | (classifier: people) |
| themo | the · mo | (classifier: objects) |
| noru | no · ru | bowl |
Two people are ready to exchange at the market, counted with himo, the people-classifier. Their table holds made things counted with themo. A food egg could also take themo when its detached material use is the point. Four classifiers are available: people, living things, detached or crafted objects, and, in the next scene, things you cannot hold.
SceneIII
phao wei miona lo powea loa.miona wei phao hemilo loa.lo shia wisola.lopia morisa nila. phao morisa howela.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| shia | shi · a | they, he, she, it |
| wisola | wi · so · la | exchange |
| hemilo | he · mi · lo | honey |
| morisa | mo · ri · sa | salt |
Eggs go to the other person; honey comes back; that two-way giving has a name: wisola, exchange. This market uses no coins. People bring what they have and decide together what will change hands. The child spots salt; the parent takes some home.
SceneIV
ta nophe philo. wi nophe philo. ta shao nophe philo.nu ta philo. nu wi philo.lopiawireo philo. wa lo mia mua silawo nai.phaotua. lo mia mua womu so nai.lo mia kau womu wepu. sileta lepa.
| new word | say it | it means |
|---|---|---|
| nophe | no · phe | (classifier: ideas, times, events) |
| mu | mu | zero |
| nu | nu | (before a numeral: turns counting into order) |
Days are counted with nophe, the classifier of things you cannot pick up: one day, two days, three. Put nu in front of the numeral and you get position instead of quantity: the first day, the second day. Tomorrow, will we be at the market? No: home. mu is zero. The manual's ternary arithmetic will be ready for the occasion when nothing at all needs counting. The walk home is downhill, the way markets arrange it.