Re: The Saharan page (was: Basque article)

On Wed, 11 Aug 1999, Steg Belsky wrote:

>
> Hmm....does anyone's conlang/conculture do stuff like that?
> The Rokbeigalm have real numerals, which are based on finger-binary, so
> they don't need to use letters.
>
Not really - numerals in the Denden Chancery script are constellations of
dots - but those dots are also used for superscript vowels, if the author
is too lazy, or too parsimonious, to write out his vowels in full. And they
can be used to indicate tones alongside the text - Charya has a nine-tone
octave (nonave?). Before the Chancery script (based on the Matraian script)
became widely accepted, there _was_ a system of indicating numbers with
letters, as well as a way of indicated numbers with series of strokes, like
tallies. So, while it is currently possible to hum a number, or to imitate
cries like 'Aia!', with numerals, you can't do those Hebrew creative things
with.

Boudewijn Rempt  | http://www.xs4all.nl/~bsarempt