Vilnius Poker statistics: pages/year*

*Here is statistics for editions of Richard Gavelis' novel "Vilnius poker" both in original and in translations. All editions are plain text, no pictures, no commentaries, as far as I know. Seems books grow thicker, because fonts grow bigger.

Contracted numerals (in Lithuanian, Finnish and Estonian)

Lithuanian shortened forms of numerals are cardinal tenners made of Standard forms (given in brackets):

• 20 (dvidešimt) dvim
• 30 (trisdešimt) trim
• 40 (keturiasdešimt) kem
• 50 (penkiasdešimt) pem
• 60 (šešiasdešimt) šem
• 70 (septyniasdešimt) septim̃
• 80 (aštuoniasdešimt) aštuõm
• 90 (devyniasdešimt) devim̃

In complex numerals only tenners can be shortened: "56" is the Standard "penkiasdešimt šeši", shortened form is "pem šeši". "142" in the Standard is "šimtas keturiasdešimt du", shortened is "šim̃tas kem̃ dù" etc. The shortened forms are used in informal talk, most often for price, age, salary, but also for anything else. They are known at least in biggest cities (Vilnius, Šauliai) for three last generations minimum, so people who are in their 70ies in 2019 say they know them from childhood. Yet these shorted forms are treated as slangish, non-official and are strictly not allowed in official speech, including school lessons, media and so on.

Unlike other numerals contracted forms are not declined, they don't have case endings and do not change by cases or gender.

(UPD 2021:) Besides that, in Lithuanian existed another system of contracted tenners. In Kaunas I heard at least from two people in their 60ies very unusual form "kešimt" (40), which is a contraction of "ke(turis de)šimt" and from one of them form "šešimt" (60), which is a contraction of "šeš(es de)šimt". In both cases the contracted numerals were used in neutral vernacular, that is in a register of urban educated people talking to a stranger. The second example shows that there could be a whole system: trišimt, pešimt, sešimt, although none of these forms was ever recorded or studied, including those I give above from real usage. Inquiries did not give any additional data, except for a general idea, that perhaps these forms are from the South (Dzukija). All of inquired could not answer, if there are any other forms except for these, or there aren't.

These forms remind indeed one pattern known to me, vernacular pronunciation of tenners in modern Standard Russian: 50 /pʲə'sʲat/, 60 /ʂə'sʲat/, where of full pronunciation form remains only beginning and end in very same pattern: пя(тьде)сят, ше(стьде)сят.

Finnish shorted forms are used rather wider, can be used at lessons of mathematics in school or anywhere, where once needs to count quickly. In Finnish shortened numbers are all tenners till 70s, with both parts abbreviated, so first ten numbers are shortened as:

• 1 y (yksi)
• 2 ka (kaksi)
• 3 ko (kolme)
• 4 ne (neljä)
• 5 vi (viisi)
• 6 ku (kuusi)
• 7 se (seitsemän)
• 8 kasi (kahdeksan)
• 9 ysi (yhdeksän)

and 10 kymppi (kymmenen), which does not look like a real abbreviation.

Then go teens, which has the first part from list above and the second part is "to", abbreviation of Standard "-toista", -teen:

• 11 y-to (yksitoista)
• 12 ka-to (kaksitoista)
• 13 ko-to (kolmetoista)
• 14 ne-to (neljätoista)
• 15 vi-to (viisitoista)
• 16 ku-to (kuusitoista)
• 17 se-to (seitsemäntoista)
• 18 kasi-to (kahdeksantoista)
• 19 ysi-to (yhdeksäntoista)

All next till 79 follow the same pattern with "ka-" for 20ies, "ko-" for 30ies, "ne-" for 40ies, "vi-" for 50ies, "ku-" for 60ies and "se-" for 70ies"

• 22 ka-ka (kaksikymmentäkaksi);
• 31 ko-y (kolmekymmentä yksi);
• 42 ne-vi (neljäkymmentäviisi);

and so on, except for round numbers, in which 1st element is abbreviated in other way:

• 20 kaks-kyt (kakskikymmentä)
• 30 kol-kyt (kolmekymmentä)
• 40 nel-kyt (neljäkymmentä)
• 50 viis-kyt (viisikymmentä)
• 60 kuus-kyt (kuusikymmentä)
• 70 seis-kyt (seitsekymmentä), there are also kahekskyt '80' and yhekskyt '90', but there's no shirtened forms for 80ies and 90ies.

These forms are most often used for oral counting, but technically can be used to define price, age or salary. They are totally legal vernacular, allowed anywhere, not slangish, not jargon. Yet they are not included into manuals and are not used in written language afaik.

My sources for Finnish system are rather poor, and I wrote it only to show that Lithuanian brief counting is not the only example known.

Appendix: Estonian contracted numerals:

In Estonian are widely used talkative forms of contracted tens:

• 20 kakskend (kakskümmend)
• 30 kolkend, kolmkend (komlkümmend)
• 40 nelikend (nelikümmend)
• 50 viiskend (viiskümmend)
• 60 kuuskend (kuuskümmend)
• 70 seitsekend (seitsekümmend)
• 80 kaheksakend (kaheksakümmend)
• 90 üheksakend (üheksakümmend)

These are just vernacular forms, they are not regarded as innovative nor slangish, they can from time to time appear in newspapers or on TV. They are not mentioned in dictionaries, but usually are given in practical courses of Estonian for foreigners. They easily included into complex numerals "kolmsada viiskend tuhhi" (350 000). "Tuhh" here is, btw, shortened form of "tuhat" 'thousand'