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From: smryan@netcom.com (@#$%!?!)
Subject: Re: Numbering system
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Organization: The Programmer formerly known as S M Ryan
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Date: Thu, 15 Jun 1995 19:15:42 GMT
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: Can anyone answer why these systems have built up in that fashion?
: What numbering system does proto-Indo-European use?

It has single words for one to ten, and the word for hundred is
derived from ten. I don't believe any other numbers are
reconstructible, which would mean descendants independently
created them.

The forms for 11 (one-left>eleven) and 12 (two-left>twelve) became
single words long ago. I would argue the words 13-19 have also
become single words since their forms are so different from other
decades like 23-29. In that case, it would seem that in PIE numbers
larger than 10 were not used often to become single words. Later
in Germanic, 11 and 12 were used often enough to be fixed, but
not 13+. But now in modern english 1-20 have single forms while
larger numbers have to be constructed afresh they're used.

That would also mean french counted up to 16 often enough to
freeze that while spanish only counted up to 15 often enough.

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