Counting methods
Traditional methods of counting sheep are known from many of the Lakeland dales, though none seem to still be in actual use. Garnett in 1910 said even then that the method was almost obsolete and as for the names of the numbers, "but few of the farmers remember them". "Yan" is still used for "one", but the others were only known as curiosities.
Traditionally the shepherd counts to twenty, then he marks a stone or stick with a "score" and starts again. The final total is given as so many score of sheep. The method seems to be common to old Cymric or Celtic areas although the words themselves have taken slightly different forms over the years.
|
No |
Keswick (Cumbria) |
Wensleydale (West Yorkshire) |
Welsh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | yan | yan | un (pronounced een) |
| 2 | tyan | tean | dwy (du-i, or something very like it) or dau (dye) |
| 3 | tether | tither | tair (tire) |
| 4 | mether | mither | pedair (ped-ire) |
| 5 | pimp | pip | pump (pimp) |
| 6 | sethera | teaser | chwe (khw-eh, a soft KH in the throat, not a hard one at the front of the mouth) |
| 7 | lethera | leaser | saith (sythe with a soft TH, not voiced) |
| 8 | hovera | catra | wyth (weth or wuth with a light U) |
| 9 | dovera | horna | naw (now) |
| 10 | dic | dick | deg (OK with this one?) |
| 11 | yan a dic (one-and-ten) | un ar ddeg (as above plus THeg, with a voiced TH) | |
| 12 | tyan a dic (two-and-ten) | deuddegg (deyTHeg) | |
| 13 | tether a dic (three-and-ten) | tair ar ddeg (tire ar THeg) | |
| 14 | mether a dic (four-and-ten) | pedwar ar ddeg | |
| 15 | bumfit (fifteen) | bumper | pymtheg (pumtheg) |
| 16 | yan a bumfit (one-and-fifteen) | un ar bymtheg (p mutates to b) | |
| 17 | tyan a bumfit (two-and-fifteen) | dwy ar bymtheg | |
| 18 | tether a bumfit (three-and-fifteen) | deunaw (2 x 9) | |
| 19 | mether a bumfit (four-and-fifteen) | pedair ar bymtheg | |
| 20 | jiggot (twenty = score) | ugain (iggen) |
You should be able to find a LOT more about counting methods from various areas of Britain online, but all the links I had originally put on here are now dead.
The Lakeland Dialect Society's Te deu wid sheep by Ted Relph listed versions of 1-5 and 6-10 recorded from various Lakeland dales.
The Celtic Numerals of Strathclyde [archived site now administered by https://ahds.ac.uk/ ]