Nilogov, A. S. Anti-Linguistic Naming of Big Numbers (At the Beginning There Was the Number, and God Had the Number, and the Number Was God)

Abstract: The article analyzes the problem of naming big numbers that is usually solved by a new branch of philosophy, the philosophy of anti-language. The problem of naming big numbers is a challenge for both mathematics (the theory of numbers) and linguistics (derivation). Despite a certain difference between symbolic and verbal names, the problem of writing numbers in symbols is associated with the fundamental limits of both verbal and symbolic names. The problem of giving names to big numbers is usually solved in the philosophy of anti-language. The subject of this branch of philosophy is the studies of the limits of semiotic names expressed in natural human language as well as the dependency of cognitive process on anti-language. The majority of names given to big numbers are anti-words contained in the anti-language. Such anti-words represent the class of anti-words called numerologism. As numerologisms, they exist until they are expressed in the language. Here the author talks not only about giving names to numbers based on a so called ‘brief scale’ where a new name is given after three zero degrees are added (in Russian morphology, they are numeral adjectives inflected for case and number), but also about verbal naming of all numbers within the range of such degrees which are, from the point of view of the Russian morphology, are definite compose cardinal numbers inflected for case. In addition, the author of the article discusses such types of numerologisms as ‘prime-numerologisms’ and ‘transcendental numerologisms’. By solving the problem of naming big numbers in modern Russian language, we can: 1) clarify one of the rules of spelling ordinal numbers, especially those ended with the ‘llion’ suffix; 2) focus on the problem of spelling complex adjectives where, instead of the ‘years old’ suffix, suffixes denoting ‘kilogram’, ‘millimeter’, ‘millisecond; and etc. can be used; 3) solve a number of other problems related to derivation and formation of names of big numbers.

Keywords: