Re: numeration system

Pascal A. Kramm writes:
> On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 22:11:06 -0500, # 1 <salut_vous_autre@...>
wrote:
>
> >I invented a numeration system with my conlang and I would like you to
check
> >if it works.
> >
> >0 zo
> >2 ko
> >3 no
> >4 mo
> >5 lo
> >6 vo
> >7 fo
> >8 bo
> >9 po
>
> Very bad, it will not work at all like this.
> Reason is, the numbers are WAY too similar to each other.
> Example: In German, there are already problems with "zwei" (2) and "drei"
> (3) being too similar, and in these cases the alternative for 2 (zwo) is
used.
> Your numbers are even much more similar to each other, all of it, which
> would cause even much bigger problems. All numbers need to be clearly
> distinct from each other!
I disagree with Pascal and the others making a similar response.
It is a problem to have words with similar sound and similar meaning
only when the channel is acoustic and in some way degraded. If I
were M. 1 (or a proponent of one of the other schemes Ray mentioned
in his response), then, I would merely add alternative forms for the
numbers (like zwo, niner, alpha, bravo, charlie, etc.) for use when
communication is over a degraded acoustic channel.

--And.