diff -Naur cont-tmf/tex/context/base/core-con.lua cont-tmf.local/tex/context/base/core-con.lua
--- cont-tmf/tex/context/base/core-con.lua	2008-06-24 23:02:50.000000000 +0300
+++ cont-tmf.local/tex/context/base/core-con.lua	2008-09-02 12:01:17.000000000 +0200
@@ -102,22 +102,22 @@
     texsprint(utfchar(n+m))
 end
 
-local function do_alphabetic(n,max,chr)
-    if n > max then
-        do_alphabetic(floor((n-1)/max),max,chr)
-        n = (n-1)%max+1
-    end
-    characters.flush(chr(n))
-end
-
 function converters.alphabetic(n,code)
     local code = counters[code] or counters['**']
-    do_alphabetic(n,#code,function(n) return code[n] or fallback end)
+    for c in string.characters(n) do
+        local c = c + 1
+	local chr = function(n) return code[n] or fallback end
+	characters.flush(chr(c))
+    end
 end
 
 function converters.Alphabetic(n,code)
     local code = counters[code] or counters['**']
-    do_alphabetic(n,#code,function(n) return characters.uccode(code[n] or fallback) end)
+    for c in string.characters(n) do
+        local c = c + 1
+	local chr = function(n) return characters.uccode(code[n] or fallback) end
+	characters.flush(chr(c))
+    end
 end
 
 function converters.character(n)  converters.chr (n,96) end
diff -Naur cont-tmf/tex/context/base/core-con.mkiv cont-tmf.local/tex/context/base/core-con.mkiv
--- cont-tmf/tex/context/base/core-con.mkiv	2008-06-24 22:55:44.000000000 +0300
+++ cont-tmf.local/tex/context/base/core-con.mkiv	2008-09-02 12:17:49.000000000 +0200
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@
 
 \def\romannumerals       #1{\ctxlua{converters.romannumerals(\number#1)}}
 \def\Romannumerals       #1{\ctxlua{converters.Romannumerals(\number#1)}}
-\def\abjadnumerals      #1{\ctxlua{converters.arabicnumerals(\number#1)}}
-\def\abjadnodotnumerals #1{\ctxlua{converters.arabicnodotnumerals(\number#1)}}
+\def\abjadnumerals      #1{\ctxlua{converters.abjadnumerals(\number#1)}}
+\def\abjadnodotnumerals #1{\ctxlua{converters.abjadnodotnumerals(\number#1)}}
 \def\abjadnaivenumerals #1{\ctxlua{converters.arabicnaivenumerals(\number#1)}}
 
 \defineconversion [romannumerals]      [\romannumerals]
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@
 \def\characters#1{\ctxlua{converters.characters(\number#1)}}
 \def\Characters#1{\ctxlua{converters.Characters(\number#1)}}
 
-\def\languagecharacters#1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"\currentlanguage")}} % new
-\def\languageCharacters#1{\ctxlua{converters.Alphabetic(\number#1,"\currentlanguage")}} % new
+\def\languagecharacters#1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","\currentlanguage")}} % new
+\def\languageCharacters#1{\ctxlua{converters.Alphabetic("#1","\currentlanguage")}} % new
 
 \def\getdayoftheweek#1#2#3{\normalweekday\ctxlua{converters.weekday(\number#1,\number#2,\number#3)}}
 \def\dayoftheweek   #1#2#3{\doconvertday{\ctxlua{converters.weekday(\number#1,\number#2,\number#3)}}}
@@ -73,19 +73,19 @@
 
 % we could use an auxiliary macro to save some bytes in the format
 %
-% \def\dolanguagecharacters#1#2{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#2,"#1")}}
+% \def\dolanguagecharacters#1#2{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#2","#1")}}
 
 % this does not belong here, but in a lang-module
 
-\def\thainumerals      #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"thai")}}
-\def\devanagarinumerals#1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"devanagari")}}
-\def\gurmurkhinumerals #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"gurmurkhi")}}
-\def\gujaratinumerals  #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"gujarati")}}
-\def\tibetannumerals   #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"tibetan")}}
-\def\greeknumerals     #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"greek")}}
-\def\Greeknumerals     #1{\ctxlua{converters.Alphabetic(\number#1,"greek")}}
-\def\arabicnumerals    #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"arabic")}}
-\def\persiannumerals   #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"persian")}}
+\def\thainumerals      #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","thai")}}
+\def\devanagarinumerals#1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","devanagari")}}
+\def\gurmurkhinumerals #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","gurmurkhi")}}
+\def\gujaratinumerals  #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","gujarati")}}
+\def\tibetannumerals   #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","tibetan")}}
+\def\greeknumerals     #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","greek")}}
+\def\Greeknumerals     #1{\ctxlua{converters.Alphabetic("#1","greek")}}
+\def\arabicnumerals    #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","arabic")}}
+\def\persiannumerals   #1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","persian")}}
 
 \let\arabicexnumerals  \persiannumerals
 
diff -Naur cont-tmf/tex/context/base/lang-sla.mkiv cont-tmf.local/tex/context/base/lang-sla.mkiv
--- cont-tmf/tex/context/base/lang-sla.mkiv	2007-08-15 20:38:03.000000000 +0300
+++ cont-tmf.local/tex/context/base/lang-sla.mkiv	2008-09-02 12:07:45.000000000 +0200
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 %C therefore copyrighted by \PRAGMA. See mreadme.pdf for
 %C details.
 
-\def\sloveniancharacters#1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic(\number#1,"sl")}}
-\def\slovenianCharacters#1{\ctxlua{converters.Alphabetic(\number#1,"sl")}}
+\def\sloveniancharacters#1{\ctxlua{converters.alphabetic("#1","sl")}}
+\def\slovenianCharacters#1{\ctxlua{converters.Alphabetic("#1","sl")}}
 
 \endinput