Counting System of Ayere Language

Student: David Olorunjuwonlo Akande (Project, 2025)
Department of Linguistics
Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State

Abstract

This paper explores the counting system of the Ayere language, a member of the Niger-Congo language family spoken in central Nigeria. The Ayere counting system is characterized by a combination of base-10 (decimal), base 20 (vigesimal), and base 100 (centenary) elements, reflecting both historical and cultural practices. The numerals in Ayere exhibit a systematic structure where the base-10 system is particularly evident in the way numbers are formed between 11 and 20, and again in the way numbers above 20 are expressed. In addition to the standard numerals, the paper investigates the role of classifiers, which are used in Ayere to categorize objects being counted, a feature that distinguishes the language’s counting system from purely cardinal-based approaches. The structure of the numerals and the syntactic patterns of number formation are analyzed in relation to other languages in the region. This paper argues that Ayere's counting system offers valuable insights into how linguistic structures interact with cultural and cognitive frameworks of number conceptualization. The study highlights the impact of sociolinguistic context on numeral formation and provides an analysis of potential shifts in the system due to increasing contact with neighboring languages and global numeracy trends.

Keywords
Vigesimal decimal numerals language family counting cultural systematic.
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