III
The following table of comparison of Romany numerals, which we have arranged, may be interesting. The English gipsy numerals are completed to ten, partly from Bryant’s collection of English gipsy words, published in the “Annual Register” of 1785. We do not know any instance of an English author, since that date, obtaining from the English gipsies, Romany numerals so high as ten. Hoyland, in his work, published in 1818, gives a list from Grellmann, whose work was translated into English by Raper, in 1785. Hoyland also gives some examples from Bryant, but only verifies, from his own research, the gipsy numerals up to five, and the numeral ten. Crabb, the gipsies’ friend, who published a work in 1818, gives examples of gipsy numerals from Grellmann, Hoyland, and Captain Richardson. No other succeeding authors appear to have been able to make up their list of English gipsy numerals to ten, without having recourse to Bryant or Grellmann. Simpson, who has written an interesting work upon the Scotch gipsies, a work evidently the result of much patient research, gives the Scotch gipsy numerals as far as ten; but, after six, the remaining numbers given have evidently no affinity to the Romany language. Either the gipsies, not knowing the numerals to ten, gave him wrong words, or he mistook the sound. Although many words of the language may have been gradually lost, we can only wonder how they have managed to preserve, through all their wanderings, hardships, and difficulties, this link, fragmental though it be, to an early past, in some long-forgotten land, whence they originally came.
TABULATED COMPARISON OF GIPSY NUMERALS.
| Bryant’s English Gipsy, 1785. | Sundt’s Norwegian Tatersprog or Gipsy. | Sundt’s Lithuanian Tatersprog or Gipsy. | Borrow’s Spanish Gipsy. | Borrow’s Hungarian Gipsy. | English Gipsy. | Hoyland’s English Gipsy. | Simpson’s Scotch Gipsy. | Grellman. | Polock’s Sanscrit. | Paspati’s Turkish Gipsy. | Paspati’s Asiatic Gipsy. | Hindostance. | Hindee. | Sanscrit. | English. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yec. | Jikk. | Jek. | Yeque. | Jek. | Yek. | Yake. | Yalk. | Ick. Ek | Eka. | Yek. | Yúka | Ēk | Ēk | Ēkŭ (mas.) Ēkā (fem.) Ēkŭṅ (neu.)148 | One |
| Due. | Dy | Dui | Dui | Dui | Dui Doi | Duée | Duie | Duj Doj | Dui | Dui | Di Didi | Dŏ | Dō | Dwi (crude) Dwau (m. and f. Dwē (neu.) | Two |
| Trin. | Trin Drill | Trin | Trin | Trin | Trin | Trin | Trin | Trin Tri | Tri | Trin | Dun | Teenc | Trŭe (like try) Tri | Tri (crude) Trŭgŭ (mas.) Trisŭ (fem.) Treeni (neu.) | Three |
| Stor. | Shtar | Schtaar | Estar | Schtar | Stor Star | Stor | Tor | Schtar Star | Chater | Ishtár Shtár Star | Ishtar Shtái | Chār | Chār | Chŭtoor (crude.) Chŭtwārŭ (mas.) Chŭtŭsū (fem.) Chŭtwāree (neu.) | Four |
| Peng. | Pansch | Pantsch | Pansche | Pansch Pansch Panj | Peng | Pan | Punch Fo | Pantsch Pansch | Pancha | Pantch Pandj | Pentch | Pãnch | Pŭnch | Pŭnch | Five |
| Sho. | Sink | Shoov | Job Zoi | Tschov | Sho Shov | — | Shaigh | Tschowe Schow Sof | Shat | Sho Shov | Shesh | Chhŭh Khŭt Shŭt Shŭsh | Khŭt Shŭt | Shŭsh (crude) Khŭt} (mas. fem. Shŭt} and neu.) | Six |
| Afta. | Schuh, more often Sytt | Efta | Hefta | Efta | Afta | — | Naivairn | Efta | Sapta | Eftá | Hoft | Sāt Hŭft Sŭpt | Sāt Sŭpt | Sŭptŭṅ (crude) Sŭpt (m. f. and n.) | Seven |
| Oitoo. | Okto | Ochto | Otor | Ochto | Oitoo | — | Naigh Luften | Ochto | Ashta | Okhtó Ohtó | Háisht | Āth Ŭsht Hŭsht | Āth Ŭsht | Ushtŭṅ | Eight |
| Enneah | Engja, often Nin | Enja | Esnia | Enija | Euneah | — | Line | Enja Eija | Nava | Enéa Enia Iniya | Néya Nu | Nou Nŭh | Mŭvŭ Nau | Nŭvŭṅ (crude) Nŭvŭ (m. f. & n.) | Nine |
| Desh. | Tin | Desch | Deque | Dōsch | Desh | Dyche | Nay | Desch Des | Dasa | Desh Des | Dez Dest | Dŭs | Dŭs | Dŭsŭn (crude) Dŭs (m. f. and n.) | Ten |