Zoinx vocabulary

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Dictionary

Because of its size, the Zoinx dictionary is on its own page:

Numbering

 Zoinx uses a numbering system which is very close to the usual position-based systems, except that it avoids the digit 0 other than for the number 0 itself.

The numbering base used is 8, so the Zoinx system is relatively close to octal; in addition to the octal digits (0 to 7), it also uses the digit 8, and instead avoids the 0 in most cases.

The numbering sequence goes: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, ... 17, 18, 21, ... 77, 78, 81, ... 87, 88, 111, ... where the numbers are read as if they were octal, so 88 is 8*8 + 8 = 72 in decimal, and 111 = 1*8*8 + 1*8 + 1 = 73 in decimal.

To translate a number to the Zoinx notation, first translate it into octal, and then do the operation of substracting 0 from it (in the usual way, from right to left), with the special rule that when you see a 0, you write a 8 and carry 1. For example, to translate the number 8711, you would first write it in octal as 21007, and then rewrite it as 18787. 


            11110  <-- carry

            21007 
	    00000
	    -----
	    18787
Conversely, to translate a number from the Zoinx notation, first do the octal operation of adding 0 to it, where a 8 becomes a 0 and carries 1, then translate it to decimal.

The names for the digits are:

[Hear them!]

The numbers from 11 (decimal 9) to 18 (decimal 16) are irregular:

[Hear them!]

The numbers from 21 (decimal 17) to 88 (decimal 72) form regularily, using i`or to indicate the eights:

The numbers from 111 (decimal 73) to 8888 (decimal 4680) form regularily, with fel to indicate the 64s digit (third digit), and e`ika for the 512s digit (fourth digit), as in: Note that, in the expression for 517 (in Zoinx notation), the =17= part retains its irregular name.

For larger numbers, digits are grouped three by three (and the groups are separated by spaces, not commas or periods), so 61 248 (decimal 25,256) would be fuz i`or tan e`ika be fel dio i`or oder. The 262,144s digit is indicated by ba`ika, so 1 283 778 (decimal 362,496) would be read tan ba`ika be fel oder i`or kso e`ika pol fel pol i`or oder.

[Hear it: fuz i`or tan e`ika be fel dio i`or oder]

As a special case, the "round" numbers (that is, the small powers of eight) are usually read by their direct names:

However, a number like 178 (decimal 128) should be read tan fel pol i`or oder, not be fel (although the latter is also sometimes heard).

There are no special ordinal forms; those are formed with the preposition i, as in ro i`efe i be which means the second house (while ro be i`efer means the two houses).

Suffixes

-r
Makes the plural of nouns. When they end with a consonant, it becomes -er.
-i`a
Turns adjectives into verbs, with the meaning of "to be that way" or "to become that way"
-ka
Turns verbs into questions (both "yes/no" and "what"-type questions). Becomes -ke if the previous syllable contains an a.
-s
Forms the infinitive of verbs.
-si
Forms the present of verbs.
-vi
Forms the (absolute) past of verbs.
-ra
Forms the relative past of verbs.
-ta
Forms the conditional of verbs.
-li
Forms the imperative of verbs.
-tavi
Forms the past conditional of verbs.
-su
Forms the present participle of verbs.
-to
Forms the past participle of verbs.