thus:—“I am seven years plus ten years, from two score years (!).” Not only is the method of combining different numerals totally unlike in the two languages. The manner in which the elemenatry numerals up to “ten” were originally formed, is also quite dissimilar. In Japanese, as in some other languages of the North-east of Asia, the even numerals seem to have been obtained by altering the vowel of the odd numerals of which they are the doubles; thus:—
| hito,[1] | “one”; | it(s)u, | “five”; | |
| futa, | “two”; | mu, | “six”; | |
| mi, | “three”; | ya, | “eight”; | |
| yo, | “four”; | to, | “ten.” |
In Ainu, on the other hand, the first four numerals shine (1), tu (2), re (3), ine (4) seem independent. Ashikne (5) is possibly “new four” (ashiri[2] ine). The next four numerals are obtained by a process of subtraction from the higher number “ten.” Compare:—
ine, “four,” with iwan, “six” (i.e. four from ten),
re, “three,” with arawan, “seven” (i.e. three from ten),
tu, “two,” with tupesan, “eight” (i.e. two from ten),
shine, “one,” with shinepesan, “nine” (i.e. one from ten),
wan, “ten.”
There might be room for doubt as to the derivation of iwan, “six,” and arawan, “seven,” did they stand alone. Indeed, doubt is still permissible on their score. But tupesan is unquestionably “two (tu) things (pe) come down (san) [from ten]”; and shinepesan is as evidently “one thing come down [from ten].”
Besides the dissimilarities in Grammar as set forth in the preceding paragraph, there are also other important differences
