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What languages do not use the 'numerical alphabet' that we are all so used to: 1, 2, 3, etc.?

Question #95944. Asked by crazycube.
Last updated Sep 23 2016.

kthnos
Answer has 3 votes
kthnos
16 year member
98 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
The Celtic one.

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigesimal (this says this and the Mayan used base 20- satguru)

Response last updated by satguru on Sep 23 2016.
May 22 2008, 2:11 AM
author
Answer has 4 votes
Currently Best Answer
author
22 year member
2834 replies

Answer has 4 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
There is also the Maya numerical system, which is different from ours.

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_numerals

The Piraha culture in the Amazonas does not have numbers at all.

link http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,414291,00.html

May 22 2008, 7:47 AM
richard_n413
Answer has 3 votes
richard_n413
17 year member
23 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
Most use the Arabic system... i.e. 1,2,3 etc. This is known as the decimal, or to base ten, system, and there are many others: binary, quaternaty, octal, hexadecimal - all of which use some or all of the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0 and A,B,C,D,E,F.

Then there is Roman numerals: I,V,X,L,C,D,M.
There are also others on wikipedia - take a browse!
link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeral_system

May 22 2008, 9:43 AM
queproblema
Answer has 4 votes
queproblema
18 year member
2119 replies

Answer has 4 votes.
I'll just paste this in from my link above.

"The system of Hebrew numerals is a quasi-decimal alphabetic numeral system using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

"In this system, there is no notation for zero, and the numeric values for individual letters are added together. Each unit (1, 2, ..., 9) is assigned a separate letter, each tens (10, 20, ..., 90) a separate letter, and each hundreds (100, 200, ..., 900) a separate letter."

As far as I know, of the ancient languages only Chinese had distinct symbols for numbers.

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_numerals

Notice the box entitled "Numeral systems by culture" to the right on the page above for more details. "Arabic" numerals were devised in India by about 500 CE.
link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_numerals

May 24 2008, 10:49 PM
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