nglish contains twelve simple terms; Sanskrit has
twenty-seven, while Japanese possesses twenty-four, and the Chinese a
number almost equally great. Very many languages, as might be expected,
contain special numeral expressions, such as the German _dutzend_ and the
French _dizaine_; but these, like the English _dozen_ and _score_, are not
to be regarded as numerals proper.

The formation of numeral words shows at a glance the general method in
which any number scale has been built up. The primitive savage counts on
his fingers until he has reached the end of one, or more probably of both,
hands. Then, if he wishes to proceed farther, some mark is made, a pebble
is laid aside, a knot tied, or some similar device employed to signify that
all the counters at his disposal have been used. Then the count begins
anew, and to avoid multiplication of words, as well as to assist the
memory, the terms already used are again resorted to; and the name by which
the first halting-place was designated is repeated with each new numeral.
Hence the thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, etc., which are contractions of the
fuller expressions three-and-ten, four-and-ten, five-and-ten, etc. The
specific method of combination may not always be the same, as witness the
_eighteen_, or eight-ten, in English, and _dix-huit,_ or ten-eight, in
French; _forty-five_, or four-tens-five, in English, and _fuenf und
vierzig_, or five and four tens in German. But the general method is the
same the world over, presenting us with nothing but local variations, which
are, relatively speaking, entirely unimportant. With this fact in mind, we
can cease to wonder at the small number of simple numerals in any language.
It might, indeed, be queried, why do any languages, English and German, for
example, have unusual compounds for 11 and 12? It would seem as though the
regular method of compounding should begin with 10 and 1, instead of 10 and
3, in any language using a system with 10 as a base. An examination of
several hundred numeral scales shows that the Teutonic languages are
somewhat exceptional in this respect. The words _eleven_ and _twelve_ are
undoubtedly combinations, but not in the same direct sense as _thirteen_,
_twenty-five_, etc. The same may be said of the French _onze_, _douze_,
_treize_, _quatorze_, _quinze_, and _seize_, which are obvious compounds,
but not formed in the same manner as the numerals above that point. Almost
all civilized languages, however,