Positions in an Ordered Set

Level 2

An ordinal qualifier follows its noun: kìíní ‘first’, kejì ‘second’, kẹta ‘third’, kẹrin ‘fourth’.

How It Works

An ordinal identifies a position and follows the noun it qualifies. The textbook contrasts initial-ì forms such as ìkejì and ìkẹta with postnominal kejì and kẹta, explaining the missing initial vowel through deletion in qualifier use.

Learn kìíní ‘first’, kejì ‘second’, kẹta ‘third’ and kẹrin ‘fourth’ as complete qualifiers. Independent educational prose confirms these ordinary spellings. Kẹta and kẹrin have mid tones, left unmarked in ordinary spelling. First has a special form; replacing a consonant in every cardinal does not establish a complete ordinal paradigm.

Compare àpò méjì, ‘two bags’, with àpò kejì, ‘the second bag’. Ordinals take no gender or plural endings. The textbook also records a special expression for the twentieth day, so its qualifier-deletion account should not become a universal formation rule. The supplied independent evidence supports postnominal kìíní without settling a standalone citation form for ‘first’.

Examples (3)

  1. Ṣí ìwé sí ojú-ìwé kẹta.

    Open the book to the third page.

    Kẹta identifies the page’s position.

  2. Mo ra àpò kejì.

    I bought the second bag.

    Kejì identifies rank rather than a quantity of two.

  3. Ẹ kọ orúkọ kẹrin.

    Write the fourth name.

    Kẹrin follows orúkọ; ẹ makes the instruction plural or respectful.