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I'm not sure I quite get it. Or at least the article doesn't make much sense of it. Is the idea that this is a helpful system because of it's rhyming? I've bee

by reedf1 4y ago

I'm not sure I quite get it. Or at least the article doesn't make much sense of it. Is the idea that this is a helpful system because of it's rhyming? I've been trying to imagine how that would help counting sheep, but just can't come up with it.

talideon 4y ago
What you're seeing is an echo of a dead language that's turned into a tradition.
Smaug123 4y ago
It makes about as much sense as "eeny meeny miney mo" (or, for that matter, "one two three four"). It just sort of happened.
sdflhasjd 4y ago
I don't think there's a purpose per-se, it's just a small island of preserved archaic language.
raldi 4y ago
I think the point is to put yourself in the place of someone so bereft of technology and formal education and imagine how you would tally sheep. Also interesting how you can probably get children started earlier with lending a hand if you teach them a counting system based on singing. This is probably why we have the alphabet song. Edit: I also find it interesting that this is a system only for tallying, not arithmetic. As one of the articles in my ensuing dive pointed out, nobody says, “Miney + eeny = moe” or “Dik minus tethera equals…” Edit: And that the first two counting numbers being “something ending in nuh” and “something starting with tuh/duh” is an ancient idea, coming from long before Roman times and predating Latin.
- schoen 4y ago
  It's kind of amazing how thorough this particular area of reconstruction is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_numerals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_numerals (and the continued astonishment I get at Indo-European languages being native from Iceland all the way to India and Siberia -- maybe I should say "from Iceland to Ireland, Italy to Iran and India")
simplicio 4y ago
I think it helps to watch the video of Thackery saying them outloud at the end of the post. The rhyming gives counting off in groups of five and then 20 a kind of rhythm that "1,2,3.." lacks. I suspect if you have some sort of monotonous task that involves counting, the rhythm makes it easier to not loose your place or have your mind wander.

by reedf1 4y ago

talideon 4y ago

What you're seeing is an echo of a dead language that's turned into a tradition.

Smaug123 4y ago

It makes about as much sense as "eeny meeny miney mo" (or, for that matter, "one two three four"). It just sort of happened.

sdflhasjd 4y ago

I don't think there's a purpose per-se, it's just a small island of preserved archaic language.

raldi 4y ago

I think the point is to put yourself in the place of someone so bereft of technology and formal education and imagine how you would tally sheep. Also interesting how you can probably get children started earlier with lending a hand if you teach them a counting system based on singing. This is probably why we have the alphabet song. Edit: I also find it interesting that this is a system only for tallying, not arithmetic. As one of the articles in my ensuing dive pointed out, nobody says, “Miney + eeny = moe” or “Dik minus tethera equals…” Edit: And that the first two counting numbers being “something ending in nuh” and “something starting with tuh/duh” is an ancient idea, coming from long before Roman times and predating Latin.

schoen 4y ago
It's kind of amazing how thorough this particular area of reconstruction is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_numerals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_numerals (and the continued astonishment I get at Indo-European languages being native from Iceland all the way to India and Siberia -- maybe I should say "from Iceland to Ireland, Italy to Iran and India")

simplicio 4y ago

I think it helps to watch the video of Thackery saying them outloud at the end of the post. The rhyming gives counting off in groups of five and then 20 a kind of rhythm that "1,2,3.." lacks. I suspect if you have some sort of monotonous task that involves counting, the rhythm makes it easier to not loose your place or have your mind wander.