Universal #532

Legacy number: 532

 Number  530
 Original  The largest value of L in numeral systems with only simple lexical representation is 5 and the smallest is 2.
 Standardized  IF a numeral system has only basic terms, THEN the largest value of L is 5 and the smallest value is 2.
 Keywords  numeral
 Domain  lexicon
 Type  no genuine implication; rather: provided that
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  56 languages mentioned in Greenberg 1978a
 Source  Greenberg 1978a: 256 (#6)

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Discussion
Notes
1. See #530 for definition of SIMPLE LEXICAL REPRESENTATION. 2. An example for L=5 is Guana (Arawakan) with the (uncommon) system 1, 2, 3, 4, ‘many’. For L=2 the only example is Botocudo (Macro-Ge), with the system 1, ‘many’. The most common values for L are 3 and 4. However, even systems with L=4 often express 3 as 2+1. 3. Cf. #533.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. See <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=530"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0"> for definition of SIMPLE LEXICAL REPRESENTATION.

2. An example for L=5 is Guana (Arawakan) with the (uncommon) system 1, 2, 3, 4, 'many'. For L=2 the only example is Botocudo (Macro-Ge), with the system 1, 'many'. The most common values for L are 3 and 4. However, even systems with L=4 often express 3 as 2+1.

3. Cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=533"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">