N̄ʋʋ

N̄ʋʋ kɛ sakɩyɛ yaɣ ɖɔɖɔ size kalɩyaɣ. N̄ʋʋ yaa kalɩyaɣ kɛna mayaɣ yaa yʋsaɣ ŋga kasɩɣna yaa pakpakʋ kɛ nɛ pamana matʋ paa ndʋ yɔ. N̄ʋʋ yaa kalɩyaɣ wasɩɣ nɛ pama tem n̄ʋʋ yaa pilim n̄ʋʋ. Pilim n̄ʋʋ yaa tem n̄ʋʋ ŋgʋ kɩkɛ n̄ʋʋ sɔsɔʋ. Pɩkɛ mɩnaɣ n̄ʋʋ ŋgʋ paɖaɣna kʋ yaʋ ɖɔɖɔ size pɩlʋʋ tɛ n̄ʋʋ yaa cɔlʋʋ tɛ n̄ʋʋ kɛ laɣsɩ pɩlɩtʋ ɖʋʋ hɔɔlʋʋ taa. Hiu hiu laɣsɩ yaa hiu hiu ɖɔnɛ kɛna lakayaɣ ŋga pakɩla tɩlɩʋ siŋŋ kɛ matʋ hɔɔlʋʋ taa yɔ.

Arabic Numerals origin

Nicolaus Kesler, about 1486

Compa

Hiu hiu laɣsɩ sɩnɛ, sɩwɛnɛ n̄ʋŋ matʋ mayasɩ hiu nɛ nzɩ lɛɣzʋna n̄ʋŋ masɩ yee ŋgba kpɛɖɛ (0) ŋgɔ nzɩna nakʋ (9) kɔyɔ. Ɖakpaɣ ɛzɩ-ɩ hiu hiu laɣsɩ taa yaa hiu hiu ɖɔnɛ taa kɔyɔ, ɖɩpɩzʋʋ ɖɩma n̄ʋʋ nɩyɛ : ɖɩkpaɣ ɛzɩ-ɩ, pamaʋ size hiŋ naalɛ nɛ lʋbɛ (27) kɛ mbɩ yɔ, ɖɩnaɣ size pɩkɛna n̄ʋŋ naalɛ matʋ. Pʋtɔbʋʋ size ɖɩmaɣ naalɛ (2) nɛ pɩkɔɔ lɛ ɖɩtasɩ maʋ lʋbɛ nɛ pakpɩtɩna ɖama.

Pɩtɛ matʋ ndʋ tɩ-naalɛ pɛkpɛm kɛ pakalɩʋ size hiŋ naalɛ nɛ lʋbɛ. Hiŋ naalɛ nɛ lʋbɛ n̄ʋʋ kʋnɛ, kɩkɛ ɖɔɖɔ wondu cɛŋga nakayɛ. Ɖɔɖɔ ɛzɩ pakalɩʋ nɛ pama size hiŋ naalɛ nɛ lʋbɛ kɛ mbɩ yɔ, mbʋ ɖɔɖɔ kɛ ɖɩnaɣ n̄ʋʋ naalɛ wɛ matʋ natʋlɛ taa. N̄ʋʋ naalɛ ɖeke ɛzɩ pamaʋ size naalɛ (2) yɔ, wɛ wɛtʋ natʋlɛ taa.

Papɩzʋʋ pama naalɛ (2) ɖeke kɛ kɔɔnɔɔ taa, pama ɖɔɖɔ naalɛ nɛ n̄ʋʋ nakʋyʋ ɖɔɖɔ ɛzɩ-ɩ pamaʋ size naalɛ nɛ pakpɩtɩ-ɩ nɛ n̄ʋʋ lʋbɛ ɖɔɖɔ nɛ pɩpɩsɩ size naalɛ kɛ hiu ɛlɛ pɩtɛkɛ naalɛ yɔ. Paa n̄ʋʋ ŋgʋ lɛ, kɩkɛ manaʋ yaa tɔm kɩmamatʋ mayaɣ. Yee ɛyʋ ɛcaɣ size ɛyɔɔdɩ n̄ʋʋ nakʋyʋ tɔm yaa ɛzɩ-ɩ ɛyaɣ kʋ kɔyɔ, pɩtɛkɛ size ɛmaɣ kʋ nɛ panɩ kʋ-tɔm ndʋ ɛcaɣ size ɛyɔɔdɩ yɔ, ɛlɛ, ɛyaɣ kɩ-hɩɖɛ nɛ ɛyʋ nɩɩ lɛ ɛpɩzɩ nɛ ɛma-kʋ ɖɔɖɔ nɛ kɩ-tɛ masɩ tɩŋgɛ.

N̄ʋʋ nakʋyʋ hɩɖɛ pɩsɩɣ pʋwɛ kɛlɛʋ ɛzɩ payaɣʋ size hiu nɛ loɖo (16) nɛ pamaɣ kɛlɛʋ nɛ fransɩ kʋnʋŋ taa "seize" yɔ. N̄ʋʋ kʋyʋ masɩ pɩsɩɣ pʋwɛ kaɖɛ ɛzɩ payaɣ size hiu nɛ lʋbɛ nɛ pamaɣna fransɩ kʋnʋŋ taa size "dix-sept" yɔ. N̄ʋʋ matʋ sɔsɔtʋ kaɖɛ n̄ɩndʋ natʋyʋ wɛ ɖɔɖɔ, tɩɖɔɖɔkʋ ɛzɩ-ɩ n̄ʋŋ nanza yaa pɩɖɛ mbʋ yɔ. N̄ʋʋ naaza n̄ɩŋgʋ nakʋyʋ kɔyɔ : kudoku nɛ taŋga nɛ canta (1525).