h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yeah, it would still be nice to have it here, but I wanted it to be a collabrative entry, because people with no specific knowledge will know how to count to 10 in their native language, and H2G2 has a lot of non-english speaking people. I don't see much point in doing that anymore.

sorry for that... didn´t mean to get it of the list in this way...

I'm gonna toss in Norwegian anyways
En to tre fire fem seks sju åtte ni ti
Danish
en to tre fire fem seks syv åtte ni ti

And I think it would be better to have the numbers on one line per language, and group them by etymology.

And just for the fun of it, I'll toss in a truly obscure one. Here's how to count to 10 in Hmong (with pronunciation):

ib (ee)
ob (aw)
peb (pey)
plaub (plow)
tsib (she)
rau (dow)
xya (shya)
yim (yee)
cuaj (jhua)
kaum (cow)

Well what do you know? All those wacky linguistics classes I took were good for something.

Cheers!
--Raindawn

But if you're really disillusioned about the entry after finding the 4500 language site, perhaps you could think of a different thing to say in different languages for a guide entry, something funny and creative that no other sites will have bothered to translate. Just a suggestion ...

Cheers!
--Raindawn

Lay Gam Yat Ho Leng Loy ....

... means "you're looking lovely today woman".

In Cantonese.

(I split it up because the Mods are persecuting me)

The constructed languages section...

http://www.zompist.com/last.htm#conlang

does feature Klingon, among a whole load of other "artlangs", almost all of which I've never heard.

If you're thinking of multi-translating another phrase as a project, may I respectfully draw your attention to this thread:

F89491?thread=198557

Which could give you a starter for ten?

H.

Well isn't that odd?

This is a thread about foreign languages (which I concede are forbidden on H2G2) ... to date in 20+ threads, the only two posts to be modded are mine.

Paranoid? Me?

Dr Trout

Well isn't that odd?

This is a thread about foreign languages (which I concede are forbidden on H2G2) ... to date in 20+ threads, the only two posts to be modded are mine.

Paranoid? Me?

Dr Trout

You're not just paranoid, you're impatient too. You clicked that post button twice didn't you?!

It does seem strange though, and both posts have been cantonese. Maybe the mods are just fluent in every other language we've used! (I don't think! no offence to mods, but...)

I'll think of another phrase. The problem is, if its going to be helpful, if will have been done before, and the point of the EG is to be helpful. Maybe "Do you know where your towel is?" would get in anyway due to the HHGG reference. What do you think?

BTW, I happen to own a Klingon dictionary, if you want it in Klingon. I'll try and work it out.

Tango

I think that's a great idea for an entry, Tango!
Very helpful indeed

--Raindawn

And a great question for 'Ask h2g2' - mine are on the floor of the bathroom, covered in hair dye - which would not be embarrasing but it is a hotel bathroom, and it is chestnut dye.



If you don't ask it tonight, I will ask it tomorrow, I am afraid.

B

My trigger finger has a st-st-stutter.

In Japenese it is

Ichi
Ni
San
Shi
Go
Roku
Shichi
Hachi
Kyu
Ju

And let us not forget the other langauges of Britain.

Welsh
un
dau
tri
pedwar
pump
chwech
saith
wyth
naw

deg
Gaelic
aon
dà
trì
ceithir
còig
sia
seachd
ochd
naoi
deich

And also cause I'm Irish the ancient toungue of Old Irish

oín
do
trí
cethair
cóic
sé
secht
ocht
noi
deich

Hiya,

this is looking good, (although the French nos don't seem to have made it in yet, )

That site is absolutely amazing.

not a reason not to have a guide entry, though. And the collab aspect can still work in terms of deciding which ones to include, and which not to... then include a link to that site with a brief intro, along the lines of 'This entry is limited to X languages, in the interests of relevance to h2g2; for 1-10 in another 4000 languages, click here'

I agree that it makes it unnecessary to ask researchers to provide the 1-10s in their languages, but it is still interesting to see what languages others think it is important/good to include...

Looks like my JApanese has been moderated though.

I think the 4000-language webpage is so comprehensive it'd be silly to bother duplicating even part of it. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to write an entry on 'Counting', with some incisive comment on the nature of adding up, and a link to that webpage and any others.

-Martin

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