Why are the Russian(Slavic) numbers 9 and 10 so similar?

Super Korean   Wed May 20, 2009 10:59 am GMT
9: nine(English)-neuf(French)-devyat(Russian)-devet(Bulgarian)
10: ten(English)-dix(French)-desyat(Russian)-deset(Bulgarian)

Compared to English or French, the Slavic numbers 9 and 10 look so similar!
Why are the Russian numbers 9 and 10 so simiar to each other?
"devyat(9) and desyat(10)"

Do the numbers have the same etymology or origins?
Hmmm   Wed May 20, 2009 2:44 pm GMT
Haven't you also noticed how English number 'six' and English word 'sex' are similar? Interesting, no?
Btw, I've always wondered why are the Japanese numbers 9 and 10 or 'ku' and 'ju' so similar.
h"   Wed May 20, 2009 3:38 pm GMT
h"   Wed May 20, 2009 3:40 pm GMT
The English example you gave above is purely coincidental. "Six" comes from Anglo-Saxon from Proto-Germanic from Proto-Indo-European. The other word that you mentioned I believe comes from Latin.
Obfuscator   Wed May 20, 2009 3:45 pm GMT
It's purely coincidental.
Leasnam   Wed May 20, 2009 7:46 pm GMT
It does appear that the Slavic word for 'nine' breaks from the Indo-European pack in that it does not have the initial n- or en- sound.

I wonder if Old Church Slavonic 'deveti' was originally linked to the word for "ten", 'deseti', i.e. "ten [minus one]"

Does anyone know?
user   Wed May 20, 2009 10:26 pm GMT
first of all, English and French do not belong to the same linguistic group (one is Germanic language, the other one is Romance)

second: it's not deveti or deseti because those numbers you wrote are cardinal
CID   Thu May 21, 2009 3:45 am GMT
<<second: it's not deveti or deseti because those numbers you wrote are cardinal >>

Does that really change the substance of what's being asked?

Does somebody need a hug today? >: )