Arithmetic base
A numeral base is the value multiplied and added in the construction of larger numeral expressions. WALS chapter 131 writes the general form as x times a base plus y. Mandarin èr-shí-lìu is “two-ten-six,” or two tens and six. A language may use more than one base at different ranges. Diola-Fogny expresses 51 as two twenties plus eleven, while the cited Basque expression for 256 combines hundreds with a twenty-based part. Classifying an entire system requires inspecting more than one number.
Ekari offers a base-60 example: WALS gives èna ma gàati dàimita mutò for 71, glossed “one and ten and sixty.” The chapter also identifies base 60 in ancient Sumerian. The shared arithmetic base is not evidence of historical contact between those two languages. For a Sumerian tablet, keep the numerical sign system, spoken number words, metrological units, and modern decimal conversion apart.
Body-part sequences
WALS describes Kobon counting along body parts: one sequence runs from a little finger up an arm to a point above the breastbone and down the other side. A body-part name can correspond to different numbers on different passes through the sequence. Its siduŋ “shoulder” can name 10 or 14 on the first pass, among later values. The contextual sequence, not the isolated word alone, determines the number.
A body-part count is not a deficient attempt at base ten. It is a conventional ordered system with its own range and disambiguation practices. WALS also discusses restricted numeral lexicons; that descriptive fact does not license claims that speakers cannot compare quantities or perform other quantitative tasks. Linguistic forms, counting practice, and mathematical ability are separate questions.
Classifiers and units
A numeral classifier is an additional element used in counting a noun. WALS chapter 55 gives Minangkabau sa-urang padusi “one woman,” duo ikue anjiang “two dogs,” and tigo batang pituluik “three pencils,” with classifiers associated respectively with humans, nonhuman animates, and elongated objects in these examples. Classifiers are not themselves the numeral base. Nor is an English translation with a bare numeral evidence that the source lacked a classifier.
Practice: parse 71 in the cited Ekari expression and 51 in Diola-Fogny into addition and multiplication. Then identify which Minangkabau element classifies the counted noun. State why these are different grammatical questions.
Modern-language examples on this page clarify a linguistic pattern. They do not establish unattested sounds or forms for an ancient language. Follow the cited sources below and keep editorial readings separate from the surviving trace.