Universal #1364

Legacy number: 1364

 Number  1360
 Original  Only a base is ever multiplied by 1.
 Standardized  In numeral systems, only a base is ever multiplied by 1.
 Keywords  numeral
 Domain  word formation
 Type  unconditional
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  56 languages mentioned in Greenberg 1978a
 Source  Greenberg 1978a: 271 (#25)

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Discussion
Notes
1. Greenberg 1978a: 271-2: “As 0 is never expressed (cf. #529), 1 sometimes is. Since multiplication of any number by 1 is redundant, it is not usually expressed. However, 1 is always part of the numeral system, while 0 never is. Hence the possibility of its employment always arises. ... Thus in English, as in many other languages, one says either ‘one hundred’ or ‘hundred’ ... An interesting confirmation of the role of counting in the expression of 1 as a multiplier is the fact that in Gujarati (Indic, Indo-European) 100 is “ek so” ‘one hundred’ in counting, but simply “so” ‘hundred’ in context. ”2. Cf. #1366.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Greenberg 1978a: 271-2: "As 0 is never expressed (cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=529"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">), 1 sometimes is. Since multiplication of any number by 1 is redundant, it is not usually expressed. However, 1 is always part of the numeral system, while 0 never is. Hence the possibility of its employment always arises. ... Thus in English, as in many other languages, one says either 'one hundred' or 'hundred' ... An interesting confirmation of the role of counting in the expression of 1 as a multiplier is the fact that in Gujarati (Indic, Indo-European) 100 is 'ek so' 'one hundred' in counting, but simply 'so' 'hundred' in context. "

2. Cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1366"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">