Re: Types of numerals

Forgot to include the list.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
Date: Jan 8, 2006 8:10 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: [Theory] Types of numerals
To: Tom Chappell <tomhchappell@...>


> English also has the verbs "to half (smthng)" and "to
> quarter (smthng)" and "to decimate (smthng)".
Actually, "half" isn't a verb; you can't "half" something, but you can
"halve" it.

> Nevertheless, English (and other languages -- one of
> the classical languages contributed the English prefix
> "ambi-" meaning "both") has a special word for "all
> two of", and apparently English users have or had a
> "felt need" for a word for "all three of".  I think
> for "smallish" N, the concepts in this series might be
> individually lexicalized; with the probable system
> being that, the higher N is, the likelier the word is
> to be regular and transparent (if it exists at all).
Makes sense to me... I just also understand the relative lack of such words.

> > Speaking of which: why do you not consider "pi"
> > to be a numeral in the linguistic sense?
>
> But I do consider "pi" to be a "linguistic numeral".
OK, I misunderstood.

> I don't know what I said to give you the idea I don't,
This:

> I do not know of any natlang which has words for either of these two
  numbers, nor for any irrational number;

If pi is a linguistic numeral, then what is it if not a word for an
irrational number?


--
Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>