But the general method is the same the world over, presenting us with nothing but local variations, which are, relatively speaking, entirely unimportant.

With this fact in mind, we can cease to wonder at the small number of simple numerals in any language.
It might, indeed, be queried, why do any languages, English and German, for example, have unusual compounds for 11 and 12?
It would seem as though the regular method of compounding should begin with 10 and 1, instead of 10 and 3, in any language using a system with 10 as a base.

An examination of several hundred numeral scales shows that the Teutonic languages are somewhat exceptional in this respect.

The words _eleven_ and _twelve_ are undoubtedly combinations, but not in the same direct sense as _thirteen_, _twenty-five_, etc.

The same may be said of the French _onze_, _douze_, _treize_, _quatorze_, _quinze_, and _seize_, which are obvious compounds, but not formed in the same manner as the numerals above that point.