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Valthungian: Difference between revisions
→Alternative Numbers
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===Alternative Numbers=== | ===Alternative Numbers=== | ||
The Gothic number system, modeled after the Greek system, which used the letters of the alphabet instead of separate unique characters, continued to be used well into the middle ages ([[Middle Valthungian]]), and certain taboo numbers came to be called by their character representation rather than their numeric form. Primarily among these numbers was | The Gothic number system, modeled after the Greek system, which used the letters of the alphabet instead of separate unique characters, continued to be used well into the middle ages ([[Middle Valthungian]]), and certain taboo numbers came to be called by their character representation rather than their numeric form. Primarily among these numbers was ‘13’, which was written in Gothic as ''·ig·''. This also occurred with the numbers ‘113’ (''rig''), ‘213’ (''sig''), ‘313’ (''tig''), ‘413’ (''wig''), and ‘513’ (''fig''). (This was not mirrored in the higher numbers of the hundreds, because most of those combinations would have been unpronounceable.) | ||
The number | The number ‘19’ is also sometimes called ''iþ'' by the same formulation. | ||
Certain slang terms have also developed out of this system, in reverse, as it were. For example, a 'road' or 'highway' is sometimes referred to as a '413' (''fiðrahunda þrižatǣn'' or ''fiður-þrižatǣn''), written ''wig'' (the accusative of ''wiǧ'' ('road'). | Certain slang terms have also developed out of this system, in reverse, as it were. For example, the homophony of hortative particle ''iþ'' with the number ''19'' gives rise to a nominal form ''þat njunatǣn'' referring to a duty or obligation. Similarly, a 'road' or 'highway' is sometimes referred to as a '413' (''fiðrahunda þrižatǣn'' or ''fiður-þrižatǣn''), written ''wig'' (the accusative of ''wiǧ'' ('road'). | ||
A much more recent slang term that has evolved from this system is the use of the number '843' to represent the (unpronounceable) letter combination ''·omg·''. | A much more recent slang term that has evolved from this system is the use of the number '843' to represent the (unpronounceable) letter combination ''·omg·''. | ||