Document Type : research article
Author
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
The word number is defined as: «عددت الشئ إذا أحصیته والاسم العدد» و«عددت الشئ عداً حبسته وأحصیته». In Quran, we read: نعدّهم عداً. Therefore, the word "عدّ" means to count something and determine the amount of that thing. However, the term is used to determine the quantity and value of things and individuals. Number is used for identifying the quantity of something. Many say that number is an answer to quantity. One definition given for number is that number is equal to the sum of halves of two neighboring margins. This is such as اثنین (two) whose low margin is واحدone and whose upper margin is ثلاثه three, and their aggregate sum will be اربعه (four). Half of four is two. Margin here means the two sides of a number (the previous and next number) since the amount of decrease in the previous number is equal to the increase of the next one. Previous number is called minor margin and the next one is major margin. In simple terms, if previous and next numbers are aggregated and divided by two, the middle number will be the answer. Counting the number to determine values (including weight, area and space) has been an important issue for human beings since their birth. Since man is a social being, he is in need to have relationship with others to live. Such a relationship makes men to have exchange and trading with each other, and they needed umbers to count days and amounts. At the beginning and prior to the emergence of arithmetics, the values were ambiguous (such as a fistful or a palmful etc), and since there were not specific and fixed, men began to think of other criteria for fixed values, which later ended in discovery of numbers. As we know, famous words for numbers are twelve: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, hundred and thousand and the non-famous values of these numbers that are obtained in the following forms: dual value, addition, additional and composition. For example, two thousands is a dual value; three hundred is an addition; forty is a composition. As a matter of fact, here we do not aim at counting major numbers, but we look for words used for men, animals, things and values, yet famous words not signify numbers since famous words could be easily found in old and new grammar books.
2. Theoretical Framework
Some of these books were specifically written for numbers from which one could refer to the following:
1. Numbers in Arabic, written by Dr. Mustafa Alnahas, Maktab Alfalah Press, Kuwait
2. Numbers in Arabic, By Fouad Hassanein, the Journal of Literature at Cairo University.
3. Numbers in Arabic, By Ibrahim Al-Samarrai, the Sumer Journal in Baghdad
The mentioned references have discussed famous words. From among them, Numbers in Arabic, written by Dr. Mustafa Alnahas is the most complete with 295 pages. This book is a comprehensive study of major numbers, and it uses only four non-famous words. Due to the vastness of Arabic language and given the numerous tough efforts on the part of philologists, especially those that have done their best in developing terminological lexicons, the author of this article believes that it is possible to provide precise answers to the given questions by properly investigating information of men, animals and objects and also values such as area, space, weight and scale. After considerable search and investigation of old and new terminological books, the following results were obtained. These results are based on studying non-famous words signifying numbers in different books, lexicons and dictionaries.
3. Conclusion
Non-famous words that Arabs use for men, animals, objects, area, space, weight and scale are divided into four groups:
a) Units (single numbers)
b) Tens
c) Hundreds
d) Thousands
The study of numbers and their application by Arabs shows that they were more mindful of tens.
Investigations showed that there are some numbers that signify numbers after thousand including.
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