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Yan Tan Tethera was a traditional numeric jargon used by shepherds to count sheep in northern England and southern Scotland. Until the Industrial Revolution, the use of specialised traditional number systems was common among shepherds, especially in the dales of the Lake District. The Yan Tan Tethera system was also used for counting stitches in knitting.

Though most of these number systems fell out of use by 1910, many are still in use and the word yan continues to mean "one" in some northern English dialects. The practice may also have given rise to the notion of counting sheep to lull oneself to sleep, possibly because the numbers were also a source of children's rhymes (such as "eeny, meeny, miny, mo"^{citation needed}).

Contents 1 The importance of keeping count 2 Origin and usage 3 Systems by region 3.1 Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, County Durham and Lancashire 3.2 Cumbria, Cumberland, and Westmorland 3.3 Numerals in Brythonic Celtic Languages 4 Miscellaneous 5 See also 6 External links

The importance of keeping count

In order to keep accurate records (e.g. of birth and death) and prevent animals from straying, shepherds must perform frequent head-counts of their flocks. Dating back at least to the medieval period, and continuing to the present in some areas like Slaidburn, farms were granted fell rights, allowing them access to common grazing land. To prevent overgrazing, it was vitally necessary for each farm to keep accurate, updated head-counts.

Though fell rights are largely obsolete in modern agriculture except in upland areas, farms are often subsidized and taxed according to the quantity of their sheep. For this reason, accurate counts are still necessary, and must be performed frequently.

Generally, a count is the first action performed in the morning and the last action performed at night. A count is made after moving the sheep from one pasture to another, and after any operation involving the sheep, such as shearing, foot-trimming, mulesing, etc.

Origin and usage

Sheep-counting systems ultimately derive from a Celtic language, possibly Welsh, Cumbric or the speech of a British population surviving after the Anglo-Saxon conquest. It is impossible, given the corrupted form in which they have survived, for us to be sure of their exact origin. One major tendency is that certain pairs of adjacent numbers now resemble each other by rhyme (notably 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 6 and 7, or 8 and 9), even though this probably was not the case in the original language. Still, multiples of five tend to be fairly conservative, such as 15, "bumfit" in most varieties, versus Welsh pymtheg.

Like most Celtic numbering systems, they tend to be vigesimal — based on the number twenty. Moreover, they usually lack words to describe quantities larger than twenty (though this is not a limitation of modernised decimal Celtic counting systems). To count a large number of sheep, a shepherd would repeatedly count to twenty, placing a mark on the ground, or move his hand to another mark on his crook, or drop a pebble into his pocket to represent each score (e.g. 100 sheep = 5 score sheep).

It is also worth noting the number theory behind the scheme. Although decimal up to 10, in most dialects the scheme then changes to counting in base 5. It is possible to carry out limited arithmetic in base 5 on numbers up to 30 (decimal) using your fingers as a rudimentary abacus. It is pure speculation, but there may be a connection between the two facts, and the shepherds of England may have carried out limited accounting on their fingers.

One reason for the use of base five is suggested by the design of the shepherds crook which has grooves, nobbles, nicks or other impressions on it to enable the shepherd to note the number of fives counted on the other hand. He might also have had a handful of pebbles, putting one in his pocket each time he reached 20. Using base five counting in this way allows the shepherd to total as many sheep as the markings on the crook will allow, each mark representing five sheep.

Systems by region

Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, County Durham and Lancashire

Number	Bowland	Rathmell	Nidderdale	Swaledale	Wharfedale	Teesdale
1	Yain	Aen	Yain	Yan	Yan	Yan
2	Tain	Taen	Tain	Tan	Tan	Tean
3	Eddera	Tethera	Eddero	Tether	Tether	Tether
4	Peddera	Fethera	Peddero	Mether		Mether
5	Pit	Phubs	Pitts	Pip		Pip
6	Tayter	Aayther	Tayter	Azer		Lezar
7	Layter	Layather	Layter	Sezar		Azar
8	Overa	Quoather	Overo	Akker		Catrah
9	Covera	Quaather	Covero	Conter		Borna
10	Dix	Dugs	Dix	Dick		Dick
11	Yain-a-dix	Aena dugs	Yaindix	Yanadick		Yan-a-dick
12	Tain-a-dix	Taena dugs	Taindix	Tanadick		Tean-a-dick
13	Eddera-a-dix	Tethera dugs	Edderodix	Tetheradick		Tether-dick
14	Peddera-a-dix	Fethera dugs	Pedderodix	Metheradick		Mether-dick
15	Bumfit	Buon	Bumfit	Bumfit		Bumfit
16	Yain-a-bumfit	Aena buon	Yain-o-Bumfit	Yanabum		Yan-a-bum
17	Tain-a-bumfit	Taena buon	Tain-o-Bumfit	Tanabum		Tean-a-bum
18	Eddera-bumfit	Tethera buon	Eddero-Bumfit	Tetherabum		Tethera-bum
19	Peddera-a-bumfit	Fethera buon	Peddero-Bumfit	Metherabum		Methera-bum
20	Jiggit	Gun a gun	Jiggit	Jigget		Jiggit

Number	Derbyshire	Weardale	Tong	Kirkby Lonsdale	Wensleydale	Derbyshire Dales	Lincolnshire
1	Yain	Yan	Yan	Yaan	Yain	Yan	Yan
2	Tain	Teyan	Tan	Tyaan	Tain	Tan	Tan
3	Eddero	Tethera	Tether	Taed'ere	Eddero	Tethera	Tethera
4	Pederro	Methera	Mether	Mead'ere	Peddero	Methera	Pethera
5	Pitts	Tic	Pick	Mimp	Pitts	Pip	Pimp
6	Tayter	Yan-a-tic	Sesan	Haites	Tayter	Sethera	Sethera
7	Later	Teyan-a-tic	Asel	Saites	Later	Lethera	Lethera
8	Overro	Tethera-tic	Catel	Haoves	Overro	Hovera	Hovera
9	Coverro	Methera-tic	Oiner	Daoves	Coverro	Dovera	Covera
10	Dix	Bub	Dick	Dik	Disc	Dick	Dik
11	Yain-dix	Yan-a-bub	Yanadick	Yaan'edik	Yain disc		Yan-a-dik
12	Tain-dix	Teyan-a-bub	Tanadick	Tyaan'edik	Tain disc		Tan-a-dik
13	Eddero-dix	Tethera-bub	Tetheradick	Tead'eredik	Ederro disc		Tethera-dik
14	Peddero-dix	Methera-bub	Metheradick	Mead'eredik	Peddero disc		Pethera-dik
15	Bumfitt	Tic-a-bub	Bumfit	Boon, buom, buum	Bumfitt		Bumfit
16	Yain-o-bumfitt	Yan-tic-a-bub	Yanabum	Yaan'eboon	Bumfitt yain		Yan-a-bumfit
17	Tain-o-bumfitt	Teyan-tic-a-bub	Tanabum	Tyaan'eboon	Bumfitt tain		Tan-a-bumfit
18	Eddero-o-bumfitt	Tethea-tic-a-bub	Tetherabum	Tead'ereboon	Bumfitt ederro		Tethera-bumfit
19	Peddero-o-bumfitt	Methera-tic-a-bub	Metherabum	Mead'ereboon	Bumfitt peddero		Pethera-bumfit
20	Jiggit	Gigget	Jigget	Buom'fit, buum'fit	Jiggit		Figgot

Cumbria, Cumberland, and Westmorland

Number	Coniston	Borrowdale	Eskdale	Westmorland
1	Yan	Yan	Yaena	Yan
2	Taen	Tyan	Taena	Tahn
3	Tedderte	Tethera	Teddera	Teddera
4	Medderte	Methera	Meddera	Meddera
5	Pimp	Pimp	Pimp	Pimp
6	Haata	Sethera	Hofa	Settera
7	Slaata	Lethera	Lofa	Lettera
8	Lowra	Hovera	Seckera	Hovera
9	Dowra	Dovera	Leckera	Dovera
10	Dick	Dick	Dec	Dick
11	Yan-a-Dick	Yan-a-Dick		Yan Dick
12	Taen-a-Dick	Tyan-a-Dick		Tahn Dick
13	Tedder-a-Dick	Tethera - Dick		Teddera Dick
14	Medder-a-Dick	Methera - Dick		Meddera Dick
15	Mimph	Bumfit		Bumfit
16	Yan-a-Mimph	Yan-a-bumfit		Yan-a-Bumfit
17	Taen-a-Mimph	Tyan-a-bumfit		Tahn-a Bumfit
18	Tedder-a-Mimph	Tethera Bumfit		Teddera-Bumfit
19	Medder-a-Mimph	Methera Bumfit		Meddera-Bumfit
20	Gigget	Giggot		Jiggot

Numerals in Brythonic Celtic Languages

Number	Proto Celtic	Old Welsh	Welsh	Cornish (Kemmyn)	Breton
1	*Oino-	Un	Un	Unn (definite), Onan	Unan
2	*Dwā(w)-, *Dwei (f.)	Dou	Dau, Dwy (fem)	Dew, Diw f.	Daou
3	*Tri-, *Tisres	Tri	Tri,Tair (fem)	Tri, Teyr f.	Tri
4	*Kweteres, *Kwetesres	Petuar	Pedwar, Pedair (fem)	Peswar, Peder f.	Pevar
5	*Kwenkwe	Pimp	Pump	Pymp	Pemp
6	*Swexs	Chwech	Chwech	Hwegh	C'hwec'h
7	*Sextam	Seith	Saith	Seyth	Seizh
8	*Oxtū	Wyth	Wyth	Eth	Eizh
9	*Nawan	Nau	Naw	Naw	Nav
10	*Dekam	Dec	Deg	Deg	Dek
11			Un ar ddeg	Unnek	Unnek
12	*Dou-dekam		Deuddeg	Dewdhek	Daouzek
13			Tair ar ddeg	Trydhek	Trizek
14			Pedair ar ddeg	Peswardhek	Pevarzek
15	*Kwenkwe-dekan		Pymtheg	Pympthek	Pemzek
16			Un ar bymtheg	Hwetek	C'hwezek
17			Dwy ar bymtheg	Seytek	Seitek
18			Deunaw	Etek	Triwec'h
19			Pedair ar bymtheg	Nownsek	Naontek
20	*Wikantī		Ugain	Ugens	Ugent

Miscellaneous

The English composer Harrison Birtwistle (b. 1934) composed a chamber opera entitled Yan Tan Tethera (subtitled "a mechanical pastoral") in 1984 with a libretto by the poet Tony Harrison. It is based on a folk tale about two shepherds, and includes sheep being counted using 'Yan Tan Tethera' and the rival 'One Two Three' system.

Yan Tan Tethera is the name of a book by David Herter related to his first novel, Ceres Storm.

In the Broadway musical The Music Man, Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn, the mayor's wife, uses a different version of the Yan Tan Tethera ("Een Teen Tuther Feather Pip!") in the "Indian Tongue" of her "spectacle" with the schoolchildren.

English chansonnier Jake Thackray wrote, performed and recorded a song about a shepherdess, entitled Old Molly Metcalfe, with the refrain Yan Tean Tether Mether Pip she counted. In the introduction to the song he describes how Swaledale sheep farmers "count their sheep in a curious fashion," and gives the entire sequence from 1 to 20.

In Finnegans Wake, James Joyce quotes the counting rhyme onus, yan, tyan, tethera, methera, pimp.

In The Mating of Lydia, by Mrs Humphrey Ward, the following counting rhyme is quoted as being from the northern dales. "Yan--tyan--tethera--methera--pimp--sethera--lethera--hovera--dovera--dick--Yan-a-dick--tyan-a-dick--tethera-a-dick--methera-a-dick--bumfit--Yan-a-bumfit--tyan-a-bumfit--tethera-a-bumfit--methera-a-bumfit--giggot"

In Terry Pratchett's novel The Wee Free Men the heroine, Tiffany Aching, is called "little jiggit" by her Grandmother, a female shepherd, as Tiffany was her twentieth grandchild; also, the titular race of sheep-stealing fairies, use the "yan-tan-teth'ra" sequence for counting off.

In Garth Nix novel Grim Tuesday, Grim Tuesday splits his Dawn, Noon, and Dusk servants into seven parts named Yan, Tan, Tethera, Methera, Pits, Sethera and Azer.

Joan Aiken's children's book The Cuckoo Tree features ten "Gentlemen" named Yan, Tan, Tethera, Methera, Pip, Sethera, Wineberry, Wagtail, Tarrydiddle and Den.

The children's album Fiddle Up a Tune by Eric Nagler features a song "Yan Tan Tethera," whose eponymous phrase begins an incantation used to calm leprechauns: "Yan tan tethera, one two three: All you little ones, let us be. Hevapin sethera, four five six: Lay down your magic fiddlesticks."

See also

• The aviator's checklist for pre-landing procedure : BUMMMFITCHH

External links

• More about usage
• Tim Gay - Rural dialects and surviving Britons
• Cornish numerals, including mp3s for pronunciations
• Breton numerals
• Carol Justus' use of this numbering system to explain pre-decimal counting systems
• The Sheep Counting Score - By Walter Skeat, 1910
• Modern Welsh decimal system and older vigesimal system in full

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 5 November 2008, at 21:54.

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