Wir Ain Leed — Numbers
Perth, Perth and KinrossCardinal and ordinal adjectives
second
Loch Leven, FifeOccasionaly the cardinal is used for the ordinal.
The seventeenth of September.
The elventh day of October.
We shall read the eighteenth chapter, fourteenth and fifteenth verses.
Ane [en], usually [jɪn] in Southern and many Central Scots dialects and [in] in in Mid Northern dialects.
Ae, [eː] or [jeː], also means the only or single 'one' and is used before nouns. In Western and Ulster dialects ae may be replaced by ane, perhaps due to influence from Irish. However, in other varieties ae and ane are not interchangeable. The form wan [wan] is from an older form of English one and is used alongside the traditional Scots ane and ae and may have replaced them, especially in urban varieties.
The only person who came to the party.
One day we'll have a holiday.
I only needed one number in order to win the bingo.
The abbreviated forms of the ordinal adjectives are:
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc.
Plurals
Numerals can be used in the plural to signify groups.
ones
twos
threes
fours
fives
sixes
sevens
eights...
Adverbial numbers
The adverbial numbers are ance ([ens, jɪns, ins]) and wance (a form derived from English once), twice, thrice then fower times, etc. Further to those literary forms are also the dialect forms 'yinst' [jɪnst] in Southern, South-east, West Central and Ulster dialects, 'wanst' [wanst] in and around Glasgow, and 'twice't' [twəist] in West Central dialects.
Multiples are:
Denoting Groups
Groups of people arranged by number in games or activities are denoted by suffixing some.
Two people playing marbles.
Three people playing golf.
Shall we dance the eightsome reel?
How about four of us playing cards?
Fractions
continuing the same as the ordinal adjectives.
Other expressions involving numbers
folded double
(denner)
(tea)
He was bent double with age.
A few friends are coming round.
Come home for dinner.
It's either one or the other.
Don't forget to be home for tea.
Telling the time
Time is divided into.
Directly after cardinal numbers, nouns of measure, usually remain unchanged in the plural.
He was able to run a hundred yards in fourteen seconds.
The church bell rings hourly.
It took him eleven minutes to run two miles.
I'll stay a little longer.
I've now been waiting for her for two hours.
She sould be here right now.
Don't worry. We'll get there in good time.
I told you to be here on the dot.
You've been waffling on for hours and hours.
It used to be standard practice in Scots to reckon the half-hour before the next hour, but this has largely been replaced by the Standard English practice of reckoning the half-hour after the hour. No doubt through media and educational pressure. A full hour is called a stricken-oor or strucken-oor.
What time is it?
Possible answers are:
Two o'clock.
Six o'clock.
One o'clock.
Half-past seven.
Half-past twelve.
Three o'clock.
Approaching twelve.
Two minutes to twelve.
Twenty to four.
Quarter to three.
Before ten o'clock.
Shortly after five.
Ten past seven.
Twenty to six.
Other expressions connected with times of the day are:
Dayligaun is a reduced form of daylicht gaun. Even(in) may be contracted to e'en(in).
The partridges were screeching loudly in the evening.
The moon gave us light that dark Saturday evening.
The (early and late) morning passed pleasantly.
Tomorrow we are going to have a soirée together.
The fringe of the sky is red in the late twilight.
I was up and out of my bed in order to work at the crack of dawn.
I have an appointment at mid-day.
I was set upon by a dog this afternoon.