Yan Tan Tethera or yan-tan-tethera is a sheep-counting system traditionally used by shepherds in Yorkshire, Northern England, and some other parts of Britain. The words may be derived from numbers in Brythonic Celtic languages such as Cumbric which had died out in most of Northern England possibly as early as the sixth century, but they were commonly used for sheep counting and counting stitches in knitting until the Industrial Revolution, especially in the fells of the Lake District. Though most of these number systems fell out of use by the turn of the 20th century, some are still in use.
Origin and development
Sheep-counting systems ultimately derive from Brythonic Celtic languages, such as Cumbric; Tim Gay writes: “[Sheep-counting systems from all over the British Isles] all compared very closely to 18th-century Cornish and modern Welsh". Given the corrupted form in which they have survived, it is impossible to be sure of their exact origin. The counting systems have changed considerably over time. A particularly common tendency is for certain pairs of adjacent numbers to come to resemble each other by rhyme (notably the words for 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 6 and 7, or 8 and 9). Still, multiples of five tend to be fairly conservative; compare bumfit with Welsh , in contrast with standard English fifteen.
Use in sheep counting Like most Celtic numbering systems, they tend to be vigesimal (based on the number twenty), but they usually lack words to describe quantities larger than twenty; this is not a limitation of either modernised decimal Celtic counting systems or the older ones. To count a large number of sheep, a shepherd would repeatedly count to twenty, placing a mark on the ground, or move a hand to another mark on a shepherd's crook, or drop a pebble into a pocket to represent each score (e.g. 5 score sheep = 100 sheep).
Knitting Their use is also attested in a "knitting song" known to be sung around the middle of the nineteenth century in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, beginning "yahn, tayhn, tether, mether, mimph".
Modern usage The counting system has been used for products sold within Northern England and Yorkshire, such as prints, beers, alcoholic sparkling water (hard seltzer in U.S.), and yarns, as well as in artistic works referencing the region, such as Harrison Birtwistle's 1986 opera Yan Tan Tethera.
Jake Thackray's song "Old Molly Metcalfe" from his 1972 album Bantam Cock uses the Swaledale "Yan Tan Tether Mether Pip" as a repeating lyrical theme.
Garth Nix used the counting system to name the seven Grotesques in his novel Grim Tuesday.
Terry Pratchett referenced the counting system in the book The Wee Free Men, the system being used by both Granny Aching and the Nac Mac Feegles.
Yan or yen The word yan or yen for 'one' in Cumbrian, Northumbrian, and some Yorkshire dialects generally represents a regular development in Northern English in which the Old English long vowel <ā> was broken into , and so on. This explains the shift to yan and ane from the Old English , which is itself derived from the Proto-Germanic . (Alternate ) Another example of this development is the Northern English word for 'home', hame, which has forms such as hyem, yem and yam all deriving from the Old English .
Systems by region
Yorkshire and Lancashire Number Bowland Rathmell Nidderdale Swaledale Wharfedale Teesdale Wensleydale 1 Yain Aen Yain Yan Yan Yan Yain 2 Tain Taen Tain Tan Tan Tean Tain 3 Eddera Tethera Eddero Tether Tether Tether Eddero 4 Peddera Fethera Peddero Mether Mether Peddero 5 Pit Phubs Pitts Pip Pip Pitts 6 Tayter Aayther Tayter Azer Lezar Tayter 7 Layter Layather Layter Sezar Azar Later 8 Overa Quoather Overo Akker Catrah Overro 9 Covera Quaather Covero Conter Borna Coverro 10 Dix Dugs Dix Dick Dick Disc 11 Yain-a-dix Aena dugs Yaindix Yanadick Yan-a-dick Yain disc 12 Tain-a-dix Taena dugs Taindix Tanadick Tean-a-dick Tain disc 13 Eddera-a-dix Tethera dugs Edderodix Tetheradick Tether-dick Ederro disc 14 Peddera-a-dix Fethera dugs Pedderodix Metheradick Mether-dick Peddero disc 15 Bumfit Buon Bumfit Bumfit Bumfit Bumfitt 16 Yain-a-bumfit Aena buon Yain-o-Bumfit Yanabum Yan-a-bum Bumfitt yain 17 Tain-a-bumfit Taena buon Tain-o-Bumfit Tanabum Tean-a-bum Bumfitt tain 18 Eddera-bumfit Tethera buon Eddero-Bumfit Tetherabum Tethera-bum Bumfitt ederro 19 Peddera-a-bumfit Fethera buon Peddero-Bumfit Metherabum Methera-bum Bumfitt peddero 20 Jiggit Gun a gun Jiggit Jigget Jiggit Jiggit
Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and County Durham Number Derbyshire Weardale Tong Kirkby Lonsdale Derbyshire Dales Lincolnshire 1 Yain Yan Yan Yaan Yan Yan 2 Tain Teyan Tan Tyaan Tan Tan 3 Eddero Tethera Tether Taed'ere Tethera Tethera 4 Pederro Methera Mether Mead'ere Methera Pethera 5 Pitts Tic Pick Mimp Pip Pimp 6 Tayter Yan-a-tic Sesan Haites Sethera Sethera 7 Later Teyan-a-tic Asel Saites Lethera Lethera 8 Overro Tethera-tic Catel Haoves Hovera Hovera 9 Coverro Methera-tic Oiner Daoves Dovera Covera 10 Dix Bub Dick Dik Dick Dik 11 Yain-dix Yan-a-bub Yanadick Yaan'edik Yan-a-dik 12 Tain-dix Teyan-a-bub Tanadick Tyaan'edik Tan-a-dik 13 Eddero-dix Tethera-bub Tetheradick Tead'eredik Tethera-dik 14 Peddero-dix Methera-bub Metheradick Mead'eredik Pethera-dik 15 Bumfitt Tic-a-bub Bumfit Boon, buom, buum Bumfit 16 Yain-o-bumfitt Yan-tic-a-bub Yanabum Yaan'eboon Yan-a-bumfit 17 Tain-o-bumfitt Teyan-tic-a-bub Tanabum Tyaan'eboon Tan-a-bumfit 18 Eddero-o-bumfitt Tethera-tic-a-bub Tetherabum Tead'ereboon Tethera-bumfit 19 Peddero-o-bumfitt Methera-tic-a-bub Metherabum Mead'ereboon Pethera-bumfit 20 Jiggit Gigget Jigget Buom'fit, buum'fit Figgot
Southwest England Number South West England (Variations) West Country Dorset1 Yahn Hant 2 Tayn Tant3 Tether Tothery4 Mether Forthery5 Mumph Fant6 Hither Sahny7 Lither Dahny8 Auver Downy9 Dauver Dominy10 Dic Dik11 Yahndic Haindik12 Tayndic Taindik13 Tetherdic Totherydik14 Metherdic Fotherydik15 Mumphit Jiggen16 Yahna Mumphit Hain Jiggen17 Tayna Mumphit Tain Jiggen18 Tethera Mumphit Tother Jiggen19 Methera Mumphit Fother Jiggen20 Jigif Full Score
Cumberland and Westmorland Number Coniston Borrowdale Eskdale Westmorland 1 Yan Yan Yaena Yan 2 Taen Tyan Taena 3 Tedderte Tethera Teddera Teddera 4 Medderte Methera Meddera Meddera 5 Pimp Pimp Pimp Pimp 6 Haata Sethera Seckera Settera 7 Slaata Lethera Leckera Lettera 8 Lowra Hovera Hofa Hovera 9 Dowra Dovera Lofa Dovera 10 Dick Dick Dec Dick 11 Yan-a-Dick Yan-a-Dick Yan Dick 12 Taen-a-Dick Tyan-a-Dick Dick 13 Tedder-a-Dick Tethera-Dick Teddera Dick 14 Medder-a-Dick Methera-Dick Meddera Dick 15 Mimph Bumfit Bumfit 16 Yan-a-Mimph Yan-a-bumfit Yan-a-Bumfit 17 Taen-a-Mimph Tyan-a-bumfit -a Bumfit 18 Tedder-a-Mimph Tethera Bumfit Teddera-Bumfit 19 Medder-a-Mimph Methera Bumfit Meddera-Bumfit 20 Gigget Giggot Jiggot
Wilts, Scots, Lakes, Dales and Welsh
Number Wilts Scots Lakes Dales Welsh 1 Ain Auna Yain 2 Tain Peina Tain 3 Tethera Para Edderoa 4 Methera Peddera Peddero 5 Mimp Pimp Pitts 6 Ayta Ithy Tayter 7 Slayta Mithy Leter 8 Laura Owera Overro 9 Dora Lowera Coverro 10 Dik Dig Dix 11 Ain-a-dik Ain-a-dig Yain-dix 12 Tain-a-dik Pein-a-dig Tain-dix 13 Tethera-a-dik Para-a-dig Eddero-dix 14 Methera-a-dik Peddaer-a-dig Pedderp-dix 15 Mit Bunfit Bumfitt 16 Ain-a-mit Aina-a-bumfit Yain-o-bumfitt 17 Tain-a-mit Pein-a-bumfit Tain-o-bumfitt 18 Tethera-mit Par-a-bunfit Eddero-bumfitt 19 Gethera-mit Pedder-a-bumfit Peddero-bumfitt 20 Ghet Giggy Jiggit
Numerals in Brythonic Celtic languages Number Ancient British Old Welsh Welsh Cornish (Kemmyn) Breton 1 (m + n), (f) ; 2 (m), (f) , (?) , , , 3 (m), (f) , (?) , , , 4 (m), (f) , (?) , , , 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 , 14 , 15 16 17 , 18 19 , 20
See also Counting-out game Hickory Dickory Dock Lace tells
References
Further reading Rawnsley, Hardwicke Drummond (1987) "Yan tyan tethera: counting sheep". Woolley: Fleece Press
External links Breton numerals Carol Justus's use of this numbering system to explain pre-decimal counting systems The Sheep Counting Score – By Walter Skeat, 1910 Modern Welsh decimal system and older vigesimal system in full