Numerals
A numeral is simply a word used to designate a number, specifically a counting number.
In Mi'gmaq, the numbers used to count objects (e.g.: "two tables" or "seven women") are different from the numbers used to count in the abstract sense (e.g.: "three, two, one, blast-off!").
Basic Number Words
| Mi'gmaq word | Number | Mi'gmaq word | Number | Mi'gmaq word | Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| newt | one | newt-isga'q / mtlin | ten | gasg'ptnnaqan | one hundred |
| ta'pu | two | ta'pu-isga'q | twenty | ta'pu gasg'ptnnaqan | two hundred |
| si'st | three | nes-isga'q | thirty | si'st gasg'ptnnaqan | three hundred |
| ne'w | four | ne'w-isga'q | forty | ne'w gasg'ptnnaqan | four hundred |
| na'n | five | na'n-isga'q | fifty | na'n gasg'ptnnaqan | five hundred |
| as'gom | six | as'gom te'sisga'q | sixty | as'gom gasg'ptnnaqan | six hundred |
| lluigneg | seven | lluigneg te'sisga'q | seventy | lluigneg gasg'ptnnaqan | seven hundred |
| ugumuljin | eight | ugumuljin te'sisga'q | eighty | ugumuljin gasg'ptnnaqan | eight hundred |
| pesgunateg | nine | pesgunateg te'sisga'q | ninety | pesgunateg gasg'ptnnaqan | nine hundred |
Numbers 1-9 are given in the table above; these basic numbers are used to form the rest of the number words. To form two-digit numbers from these basic words, for 10 through 50 the suffix [-isga'q] is added to the basic number word. ("Three", si'st, is different here; nesi is always used as a prefix to mean "three".) For 60 through 90, the stand-alone word te'sisga'q follows the basic number. Note that there are two words for ten - newt-isga'q and mtln. When simply saying the word "ten", both can be used; however, mtln is the source of the number prefix used to count objects or things (see Number Words with Classifiers).
To change the second digit of two-digit numbers, jel (roughly translating to "and") is added with the desired number - e.g., newtisga'q jel newt is "eleven", more literally "ten and one".
Three digit numbers involve the word for one hundred, gasg'ptnnaqan. Alternate spellings for this word include gasg'mtlnaqan, indicating that the word is morphologically built off of the word mtln for "ten", but any possible meanings of gasg- or -aqan as separate morphemes are unclear at this point. The basic number word is simply placed in front of gasg'ptnnaqan and the second and third digits are changed by adding numbers with jel, e.g. na'n gasg'ptnnaqan jel na'nisgaq' jel na'n for "five hundred fifty-five", literally "five hundred and fifty and five".
For four digit numbers and beyond, the word for "one thousand" is pituiptnnaqan, and "one million" is igjipituiptnnaqan.
Number Words with Classifiers
When counting nouns in Mi'gmaq, one adds certain classifiers to the number word depending on potential classifications of the noun being counted. Nouns can possibly be:
- Bare (only require an animacy marker)
- Kinds or groups of objects
- Long and cylindrical
- Round or globe-like
- Flat and thin or sheet-like
- Money
- Years of age
- Dates
- Hierarchical systems or series (such as order [first, second, third], military rank, floors of a building, etc.)
Different classifiers exist for each of these categories and are applied to number words when counting nouns in each category. Each number takes an animacy classifier, and further classifiers are infixed between the number word and the animacy classifier. In the table below, examples are given with the word for "two":
| Counting word | Classifier | Gloss |
|---|---|---|
| ta'pu-sijig | -sijig | two animates |
| ta'pu'-gl | -gl | two inanimates |
| ta'pu-nemig-sijig | -nemig- | two kinds of animates |
| ta'pu-nemi-gl | -nemig- | two kinds of inanimates |
| ta'pu-oq-sijig | -oq- | two cylinder-like animates |
| ta'pu-a'-gl | -a'- | two cylinder-like inanimates |
| ta'pu-anqa-sijjig | -anqa- | two sheet-like animates |
| ta'pu-anqe-gl | -anqe- | two sheet-like inanimates |
| ta'pu-apsg'-sijig | -apsg'- | two globe-like animates |
| tapu-apsge-gl | -apsge- | two globe-like inanimates |
Note that for "three", the prefix is nemi- and not si'st, and for "ten", the mtln variant is prefixed as opposed to newtisga'q.
These number words with classifiers can be used to describe the number of according nouns, as shown in the example below.
ta'pu-apsge-gl alawe'-l two.round.inanimate pea.PL
'Two peas'
These classifiers also seem to play a role in verbal modification, as seen in the Modification section.