The Tutuba Numeral System and the Way of Indicating Numbers

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H07139
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Linguistics
• Research Institution: Ehime Prefectural University of Health Science
• Principal Investigator: NAITO MAHO 愛媛県立医療技術大学, 保健科学部, 講師 (00784505)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-08-26 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ヴァヌアツ / 少数言語 / 危機言語 / 無文字言語 / 数詞 / 儀礼 / 言語変化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

More than 100 vernacular languages are spoken on the 83 islands of the Republic of Vanuatu. One of them, the Tutuba language, is spoken by approximately 500 people on Tutuba Island. In this language, numbers over 21 are constructed with cardinal numbers with ordinal numbers. Since this unique counting method over 21 is different from the reconstructed Proto-Oceanic and most other cognate languages, it implies the language change. This study shows how numbers over 21 are used in the rituals or marriage ceremonies on Tutuba Island and explains the possibility that this unique counting over 21 was developed to meet the needs of traditional rituals that require large numbers.

Free Research Field

言語学