Numbers and Time
3 min read · 512 words
Solanis uses two methods for writing out numerical values: scalar and digit-based.
Scalar System
The scalar system uses a pair of words to specify each digit in the number. The pair is composed of a quantity and scalar. These words can be thought of as being “multiplied” to provide the pair’s value.
Quantities:
Zero | nul | Five | cin | |
One | un | Six | sis | |
Two | dulo | Seven | sep | |
Three | tres | Eight | octu | |
Four | cart | Nine | nove |
Scalars:
One | [No Word] | Million | momile | |
Ten | dece | Ten Million | demomile | |
Hundred | cente | Hundred Million | cemomile | |
Thousand | mile | Billion | sente | |
Ten Thousand | demile | Ten Billion | desente | |
Hundred Thousand | cemile | Hundred Billion | cesente |
As seen in the table above, the prefixes “de-” and “ce-” repeat for all scalars of “ten X” or “hundred X” respectively.
To convert the number into an ordinal number, “-al” is added to the last word in the sequence, unless the number’s penultimate letter is an “l”, in which case the last two letters are dropped and replaced with “-ya”. If the ordinal is the last word in the noun phrase, the article is not needed if it is a definite improper article.
Digit-Based System
The digit-based system relies on the individual numbers, when written out, being listed one after the other rather than providing a scale for them. Each of these words start with a certain consonant to convey its numerical value and a vowel to help the listener understand where that number should be put in a set of three, as that is where the comma is placed to separate the sets of numbers. The particle “t͏̇̇in” must be placed before use of the digit-based system to make it clear that the following words are numbers.
Consonant | Consonant | ||
Zero | z | Five | f |
One | n | Six | s |
Two | d | Seven | v |
Three | t | Eight | ċ |
Four | c | Nine | l |
The “x”s in the table below show where the numerical value presented by the consonant of the word should be placed in the set of three. The numbers are always read off from the left to right, so if a number said is less greater than or equal to a previously mentioned number, it is to be assumed that a new set of numbers has been started.
Vowel | |
x00 | a |
0x0 | e |
00x | i |
0xx or xx0 | o |
xxx | u |
Hours
Solanis has separate words for stating the hour of the day. Solanis predominantly uses the metric time system for counting the minutes and hours in a day.
0 o’clock | nali | 5 o’clock | canli |
1 o’clock | anli | 6 o’clock | sali |
2 o’clock | dali | 7 o’clock | sapli |
3 o’clock | trali | 8 o’clock | otali |
4 o’clock | carli | 9 o’clock | novali |
Despite this, Solanis also has words for the hours past 9 o’clock to help understand what people are saying when they are not using metric time.
Word | Word | Word | |||
10 o’clock | donole | 15 o’clock | canole | 20 o’clock | nudola |
11 o’clock | anole | 16 o’clock | sanole | 21 o’clock | nadola |
12 o’clock | danole | 17 o’clock | sople | 22 o’clock | dodola |
13 o’clock | trole | 18 o’clock | octole | 23 o’clock | trodola |
14 o’clock | carole | 19 o’clock | novole |
The ordinal ending rules can also be applied to the hour.
Date
In numerical form, the date is written “[year]/[month]/[day]”. When written out in words, the date is formatted as “[day of the week] [ordinal] la de [month]”. The days of the week are as follows:
Word | Word | ||
Sunday | Dīsol | Thursday | Dīlov |
Monday | Dīlun | Friday | Dīvene |
Tuesday | Dīmarti | Saturday | Dīsani |
Wednesday | Dīmercu |
The following are the months of the year.
Word | Word | Word | |||
January | Janiyus | May | Maya | September | Sepeba |
February | Februano | June | Juno | October | ocutoba |
March | Maris | July | Julis | November | noveba |
April | Aperido | August | Agultus | December | deceba |
Examples
‘four hundred and thirty one’
‘4 3 1’
‘Seven hundred sixty two thousand nine hundred and forty’
‘7 6 2 9 4 (0)’
The trailing 0 is implied by the last number in the sequence not being in the third position.
‘It is seven eighty o'clock.’
‘It is eighteen forty three o'clock.’
‘It is the third Monday of June.’
‘It is the twenty-eighth.’
The indefinite improper article is not used.
‘(the) one hundred millioneth’
The last two letters of “cemomile” are dropped and the ordinal ending “ya” is used. By use of the ordinal, the article is not used.
‘the eleventh hour’
“Anole” has the second ordinal ending applied. The article is also dropped.