Crooked fingers?

Use your fingers to show the number three! Do you find it easier to show the number with your thumb, index and middle finger? Or do you prefer to hold up your little finger, ring finger and middle finger? Maybe you count in a completely different way? Our body is a true calculator and you can use it in many different ways. For example, you can count each finger as a single unit, i.e. as "1", that way you have a superb counting system on a base of 10. However, if you use the individual sections of each finger (excluding the thumb), you have a counting system on a base of 12. Of course, you can also add the toes and thumbs, then you have a base of 20. Some cultures also use their whole body to visualise numbers. Of course, this also has an influence on language. It is not a coincidence that in English "digit" means both "finger" and "number". Of course, our bodies can do much more than just count, some people communicate exclusively via hand signs and gestures. If you want to communicate numbers in sign language, for example, you have to know the rules, because the smallest difference in gestures conveys completely different messages. If you are interested in this topic and would like to learn more about "finger counting" across different cultures, please have a look at these links:

EN: Different Ways of Counting Around the World (duolingo.com)

EN: How the way you count reveals more than you think - BBC Future

DE: Zählen rund um die Welt – Oder: Wie man Spione entlarvt | brainworker

DE: Gebärdensprache Tutorial Zahlen 1-99 | Cindy Klink - YouTube