In the counting system used in the Cornish language, the numerals (number words) below 100 are based on twenties: so numbers from 21–39 are "x on twenty", 41–59 are "x on two twenty", numbers from 61–79 are "x on three twenty", and numbers from 81–99 are "x on four twenty". 40 is "two twenty", 60 is "three twenty", and 80 is "four twenty". This is very similar to counting in the Welsh language. It is also similar to the French numerals for 60–99.
Numerals NumberCardinal no.Ordinal no. 0 , 1 , kensa 2 (m), (f); both + soft mutationnessa 3 (m), (f); both + aspirate mutationtressa 4 (m), (f)peswera 5 pympes 6 hweghes 7 seythves (etc.) 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 ("one on twenty")kensa warn ugens, etc. 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 ("ten on twenty") 31 ("eleven on twenty") 32 etc. 40 ("two-twenty") 41 ("one and two-twenty") 50 ("half a hundred") ("ten and two-twenty") 51 60 ("three-twenty") 61 70 ("ten and three-twenty") 71 ("eleven and three-twenty") 80 ("four-twenty") 81 90 ("ten and four-twenty") 91 ("eleven and four-twenty") 100 200 300 400 ("all-twenty") 500 600 1000 ; + soft mutation 2000 1,000,000 , 1,000,000,000 1,000,000,000,000
Variation in form There is some syntactically and phonologically triggered variation in the form of numerals. There are, for example, masculine and feminine forms of the numbers "two" ( and ), "three" ( and ) and "four" ( and ), which must agree with the grammatical gender of the objects being counted. Numerals change as expected according to normal rules of consonant mutation; some also trigger mutation in some following words.
Use with nouns The singular form of the noun is used with numbers, but for larger numbers an alternative form is permitted, where (partitive, "of") with the plural noun follows the number. Except where using this plural form, the noun is placed before any parts of the number that are added using ("on") or ("and") in the number system.
Nouns are also mutated following many numbers. triggers the soft mutation of feminine nouns, but not masculine nouns. It also causes the word dydh "day" to become unn jydh "one day". and both trigger the soft mutation. and trigger the aspirate mutation. The part of the number immediately preceding the noun will determine any mutation of the noun. In the plural form with , the soft mutation is used as is normal after .
The following example with ("cat") illustrates several of these points:
Two cats
Twenty-three cats (literally "Three cat on twenty")
Seventy-eight cats (literally "Eighteen cat and three-twenty")
or
Three hundred and forty eight thousand, six hundred and sixty nine cats (348,669)
A million cats
References
Williams, N. Desky Kernowek (Evertype, 2012) Brown, W. A Grammar of Modern Cornish (Kesva an Taves Kernewek, 2001)