Re: Telona number system

On Saturday 01 March 2003 3:21 pm, Jonathan Knibb wrote:
> Christophe a écrit:
> > Welcome back!
>
> Thank you!  It's good to be back.
>
> > > If I get time over the weekend I'll try and post a little about
> > > the language if people are interested.  (Cue Christophe :)) ).
> >
> > Hehe, I *am* interested, as usual ;))) .
> > [...]
> > I love number systems, so please show yours :) .
>
> Knew I could rely on you :)
>
> Rather than give the whole system of rules, maybe it would be more fun
> just to list the first few numbers and let people work it out.  I will
> warn you though, it depends on spotting some phonological
> alternations!  Incidentally, there's no particular significance to the
> way I've grouped the numbers.
>
> Have fun ... < monospaced font recommended :) >
>
> 1 - na                   5 - chu                  9 - divi
> 2 - ra                   6 - dena                 10 - tha
> 3 - pen                  7 - co                   11 - lali
> 4 - sur                  8 - salte                12 - ite
>
> 13 - tedith              17 - nua                 21 - co efen
> 14 - co ala              18 - divi ala            22 - lali ala
> 15 - vami                19 - ru ildivi           23 - ru allali
> 16 - salte ala           20 - tha ala             24 - ite ala
>
> 25 - chu ede             29 - ca eso              33 - lali efen
> 26 - tedith ala          30 - vami ala            34 - nua ala
> 27 - divi efen           31 - ru alvami           35 - co ilku
> 28 - co ilcur            32 - salte ilcur         36 - divi ilcur
>
> 37 - ca ildivi           41 - ca alta             45 - divi ilku
> 38 - ru ildìvi alá       42 - co eldena           46 - ru allàli alá
> 39 - tedith efen         43 - ru eso efén         47 - ru ilu alláli
> 40 - tha ilcur           44 - lali ilcur          48 - ite ilcur
>
> What do you all think?  Does it make any sense?  Is it plausible??
> (And who can tell me what 1918 comes to in this system?  :)) )
Ok, the rules.  Near as I can make out, 'ala'=*2, 'efen'=*3, 'ilcur'=*4,
'ilku'=*5, 'eldena' =*6, 'ede'=^2.  The language seems to tend to the
coefficient(ala, efen, etc.) being smaller.  Prime numbers..hmmm.  The prime
number system seems to revolve around what the previous number was a multiple
of.  eg. 'ru allali' means 'prime number, the previous number was a multiple
of eleven'. I think 'ru' means that it is the first prime number like that,
and 'ca', means that it is the second. If another multiplicant(is that a
word) follows that, things may get ambiguous.  For instance, 'ru eso efén',
means 'prime number, previous number multiple of 21', however, 'ru allàli
alá' does not mean 'prime number, previous number multiple of 22'(67), but
'twice prime number previous number multiple of 11'(46).  I think '67' may be
'ru alláli eldena', or something like that.

I can't work out 1918 beyond a long string of 'ru' and 'ala'