ABSTRACT
Tibetan numerals from 11 to 19 are formed by combining the word ten and the appropriate numeral to its right. The less specific term sister or brother does not exist. Note that for the expression younger sister, there are two words and They are not synonymous. is used when it relates to an elder brother and relates to an elder sister. There is no equivalent to the English word all in Tibetan. The notion of universal quantification denoted by all is therefore expressed by other means. Colloquial Amdo Tibetan usually makes a distinction between a dual and a plural animate noun phrase. In the Tibetan culture, pointing at people or things with a finger is considered rude. Naturally, pointing fingers at sculptures of religious figures, contents of religious paintings or sutras, sacred objects in a chapel, etc., can also be taken with offense or, at least, as a reflection of the doer’s cultural ignorance.
