Mab thiab Suav

[SVanTha]

For me, i know all too well about the Suav, but the Mab have always been kinda foggy.  It's one of those things that you think must have some kind of value cause the old folks use it so often and so vigorous, but you've never witnessed the exact extent.

Well, it wasn't till recently that i finally witnessed the reason why the old folks use that saying.  Here:  http://www.jseals.org/seals17/Ratliff_handout_SEALS17.pdf

Six and probably Seven hmong numbers were borrowed from the Mab.  That's huge!!!  It implies that the Mab culture had a very, very strong force on our people at one time.  It coulda been good, it coulda been bad, but from the way the old people use that saying, it was probably more bad than good.

I'm completely surprised that the only original numbers we use are 2 and 3.  I'm even more surprised that the people we borrowed most of the other numbers from weren't the Suav, but the Mab.

[Amara]

I've always thought that "ob" sounded similar to 二 and may have derived from it.

[SVanTha]

I've always thought that "ob" sounded similar to 二 and may have derived from it.

I know right?  I did too.  I thought 1,2,9 were from chinese and that was it for the borrowing.  but the linguistic data shows only the numbers 2 and 3 are from the original hmong language.