Yan Tan Tethera


Yan Tan Tethera is a sheep-counting rhyme/system traditionally used by shepherds in Northern England and earlier in some other parts of Britain. Until the Industrial Revolution, the use of traditional number systems was common among shepherds, especially in the fells of the Lake District. The Yan Tan Tethera system was also used for counting stitches in knitting. The words derive from a Brythonic Celtic language. Though most of these number systems fell out of use by 1910, some are still in use.
The word yan or yen for "one" in some northern English dialects generally represents a regular development in Northern English in which the Old English long vowel <ā> was broken into /ie/, /ia/ and so on. This explains the shift to yan and ane from the Old English ān, which is itself derived from the Proto-Germanic *ainaz. Another example of this development is the Northern English word for "home", hame, which has forms such as hyem, yem and yam all deriving from the Old English hām.

Importance of keeping count

In order to keep accurate records and to be alert to instances of 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 important 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 subsidised 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, tagging, foot-trimming, mulesing, etc., although sheep are far less likely to stray while being moved in a group than when grazing at large on open ground.

Origin and usage

Sheep-counting systems ultimately derive from Brythonic Celtic languages, such as Cumbric; Tim Gay writes: “ all compared very closely to 18th-century Cornish and modern Welsh". It is impossible, given the corrupted form in which they have survived, to be sure of their exact origin. The counting systems have changed considerably over time. A particularly common tendency is for certain pairs of adjacent numbers to come to resemble each other by rhyme. Still, multiples of five tend to be fairly conservative; compare bumfit with Welsh pymtheg, in contrast with standard English fifteen.
Like most Celtic numbering systems, they tend to be vigesimal, but they usually lack words to describe quantities larger than twenty; though this is not a limitation of either modernised decimal Celtic counting systems or the older ones. 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.
Their use is also attested in a knitting song from Yorkshire. Similar modern references have since been made in both products produced and sold within Northern England, such as prints, beers, and yarns, as well as artistic works simply referencing the region, such as Sir Harrison Birtwistle's 1986 opera Yan Tan Tethera.

Systems by region

Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, County Durham and Lancashire

NumberDerbyshireWeardaleTongKirkby LonsdaleWensleydaleDerbyshire DalesLincolnshire
1YainYanYanYaanYainYanYan
2TainTeyanTanTyaanTainTanTan
3EdderoTetheraTetherTaed'ereEdderoTetheraTethera
4PederroMetheraMetherMead'erePedderoMetheraPethera
5PittsTicPickMimpPittsPipPimp
6TayterYan-a-ticSesanHaitesTayterSetheraSethera
7LaterTeyan-a-ticAselSaitesLaterLetheraLethera
8OverroTethera-ticCatelHaovesOverroHoveraHovera
9CoverroMethera-ticOinerDaovesCoverro DoveraCovera
10DixBubDickDikDiscDickDik
11Yain-dixYan-a-bubYanadickYaan'edikYain discYan-a-dik
12Tain-dixTeyan-a-bubTanadickTyaan'edikTain discTan-a-dik
13Eddero-dixTethera-bubTetheradickTead'eredikEderro discTethera-dik
14Peddero-dixMethera-bubMetheradickMead'eredikPeddero discPethera-dik
15BumfittTic-a-bubBumfitBoon, buom, buumBumfittBumfit
16Yain-o-bumfittYan-tic-a-bubYanabumYaan'eboonBumfitt yainYan-a-bumfit
17Tain-o-bumfittTeyan-tic-a-bubTanabumTyaan'eboonBumfitt tainTan-a-bumfit
18Eddero-o-bumfittTethea-tic-a-bubTetherabumTead'ereboonBumfitt ederroTethera-bumfit
19Peddero-o-bumfittMethera-tic-a-bubMetherabumMead'ereboonBumfitt pedderoPethera-bumfit
20JiggitGiggetJiggetBuom'fit, buum'fitJiggitFiggot

NumberSouthwest England West Country Dorset
1YahnHant
2TaynTant
3TetherTothery
4MetherForthery
5MumphFant
6HitherSahny
7LitherDahny
8AuverDowny
9DauverDominy
10DicDik
11YahndicHaindik
12TayndicTaindik
13TetherdicTotherydik
14MetherdicFotherydik
15MumphitJiggen
16Yahna MumphitHain Jiggen
17Tayna MumphitTain Jiggen
18Tethera MumphitTother Jiggen
19Methera MumphitFother Jiggen
20JigifFull Score

Cumberland, and Westmorland

Wilts, Scots, Lakes, Dales and Welsh

NumberWiltsScotsLakesDalesWelsh
1AinYanAunaYainUn
2TainTyanPeinaTainDau
3TetheraTetheraParaEdderoaTri
4MetheraMetheraPedderaPedderoPedwar
5MimpPimpPimpPittsPump
6AytaSetheraIthyTayterChwech
7SlaytaLetheraMithyLeterSaith
8LauraHoveraOweraOverroWyth
9DoraDoveraLoweraCoverroNaw
10DikDikDigDixDeg
11Ain-a-dikYanadikAin-a-digYain-dixUn ar ddeg
12Tain-a-dikTyanadikPein-a-digTain-dixDeuddeg
13Tethera-a-dikTetheradikPara-a-digEddero-dixTri ar ddeg
14Methera-a-dikMetheradikPeddaer-a-digPedderp-dixPedwar ar ddeg
15MitBumfittBunfitBumfittPymtheg
16Ain-a-mitYanabumfitAina-a-bumfitYain-o-bumfittUn ar bymtheg
17Tain-a-mitTyanabumfittPein-a-bumfitTain-o-bumfittDau ar bymtheg
18Tethera-mitTetherabumfittPar-a-bunfitEddero-bumfittDeunaw
19Gethera-mitMetherabumfittPedder-a-bumfitPeddero-bumfittPedwar ar bymtheg
20GhetGiggotGiggyJiggitUgain

Numerals in Brythonic Celtic languages