The answer to this question can be found in the first few paragraphs of chapter seven. It might be helpful to display the "eleven-nineteen" number as an actual number, 11-19. The second number in the sequence refers to a child's birth order for a particular year. Jonas's second number is "19," and that means he was the 19th child born that year. The first number in the sequence refers to how old Jonas is; therefore, 11-19 means that Jonas is an 11-year-old child, and he was the 19th child born that year. Jonas will always have the number 19 attached to his numerical code, but the first number changes after each ceremony. Jonas was 9-19 two years prior and 10-19 a year prior. Jonas tells readers that these official numbers are rarely used, if ever, after a child has been officially named. Technically, Jonas is going to become 12-19 at the ceremony, but he tells readers that the numbers cease to matter at 12 because he will be considered an adult.
When he was born, Jonas was the nineteenth "newchild" to be born during that year. Within his same age group, Jonas will always be nineteen. For example, if Jonas was ten years old, his number would be ten-nineteen. At the beginning of the ceremony, Jonas has not yet advanced to become a Twelve. Therefore his number is eleven-nineteen. For a short period of time, there will be two eleven-nineteens. The ten-year-old that becomes an Eleven will be eleven-nineteen along with Jonas until Jonas advances as part of the Ceremony of Twelve. Jonas shares a smile with the girl that shares his number for a brief period of time. Once Jonas becomes a Twelve, however, his age will no longer matter. He will be considered an adult.
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