Subject: non - decimal counting systems

the fulfulde language of west africa is based on fives . so you have separate words for one through five , from then on : 5 + 1 for six , then 5 + 2 , 5 + 3 , 5 + 4 . but there is a word for ten : 's appo ' which indicates putting both sets of fingers together . then we get 10 + 1 . . . . 10 + 5 + 4 , then a separate word for twenty . i beleive some dialects use ten times two for twenty . for thirty , forty , etc . we get 10 x 3 etc . there are separate words for hundred and thousand . 1000 x 1000 is probably a practical limit . i am sure this is not unique in this area of africa . leslie h . stennes
