Hi Light Seeker,
no, I play congas, but I have heard that indian tabla players have a counting system based on syllables. There exists a pädagogic system for rhytmical education called TaKeTiNa which is popular in Germany because its founder Reinhard Flatischler who is from Austria spread it here in workshops.So many music teacher use basic parts of his system to help their students along.
Best regards,

Amber