en(B)

Twenty-first International Linguistics Olympiad

Brasília (Brazil), 23–31 July 2024
Individual Contest Solutions

Problem 1. Structure of the verb form:

1. subject (t- 1st person sg, mət- 1st person du/1st person pl, ∅- 2nd person sg, ne- 3rd person
du=3rd person pl)

2. ə materialises here if and only if needed to avoid a cluster of two consonants word-initially or
word-finally, or a cluster of three consonants in any position.

3. tense (ku- present, je- future, ∅- past)

4. ine-: direct object = 1st person sg (subject = 2nd person du/2nd person pl)

5. verb root

6. -la: subject/direct object = 1st person pl/2nd person pl

7. tense (-ŋ present/future, -∅ past)

8. ə materialises here if and only if needed to avoid a cluster of two consonants word-initially or
word-finally, or a cluster of three consonants in any position.

9. -tək: subject = 2nd person du/2nd person pl (direct object = 1st person sg);
direct object (-tək 2nd person du/2nd person pl, -n 3rd person sg, -net 3rd person du, -new
3rd person pl)

Sound changes:

1. the final vowel of a prefix is lost before another vowel;

2. t+j > cc, t+l > ll, t+n > nn, t+ŋ > ņŋ;

3. if a is present, all e/i/u in the word become a/e/o, respectively.

(a) 19. kulleŋən you(sg) lead him

20. jinejguŋtək you(du) will bite me
21. tekminnew I caught them(pl)
22. təjohallaŋtək I will wait for you(pl)
23. mətkonŋevlaŋən we(pl) send him

(b) 24. you(sg) will see them(du) jelhuŋnet

25. we(pl) bit him mətəjgolan
26. you(pl) catch me kenakmellaŋtək
27. they send you(du) nekunŋivŋətək
28. you(du) led me inelletək
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Individual Contest Solutions

Problem 2. possesseda -sfxa -POSSb possessorb -sfxb

m f

• animals: lion, leopard, flamingo • animals: zebra, impala, elephant, baboon, gi-
raffe
• objects, body parts: long/thin
• objects, body parts: short/thick
•
sg pl •
sg pl
sfx -∅ -bii *
sfx -ko -bee
POSS -ma -itcha *
POSS -sa -eta

* e, o > i, u before masculine plural endings

(blocked by an intervening a, e.g., zzokwana-bii)
-bii-itcha > -biitcha

(a) 19. wiriko — D. short, thick root

20. roobee — C. horns (e.g., of dik-diks)
21. mu’a — B. thin twig
22. zzahubii — A. tails (e.g., of leopards)

(b) 23. gariko — car (= short lorry)

24. makubii — tall cooking pots
25. hazzakeko — female thief
26. dongobee — zebras
27. zzahoko — (short, thick) tail
28. nqibii — leopards

(c) 29. the flamingo’s leg — uphukwama gogogogo

30. the zebra’s V. pseudolablab tuber — shumukosa dongoko
31. the male impalas’ horns — ruubiitcha puphubii
32. the female strangers’ thick stick — mu’akoeta uhuyitibee
33. the boys’ tall cooking pot — makuitcha eratibii
34. the impala’s long, thin roots — wiribiisa pophoko
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Individual Contest Solutions

Problem 3.
{
rä — if A is a woman
• A B-ane X
yé — if A is a man

– A = B’s relative
– X = kinship term

• ŋafe father B brother

ŋame mother D daughter
nge child F father
zath grandfather, grandson H husband
zath ŋaregrandmother, granddaughter M mother
nane elder sibling S son
ngth younger sibling W wife
enat son-in-law Z sister
ŋäwi uncle (mother’s brother)
terms after sister exchange:
bäiŋaf MB = FZH, ZS = WBS, BS = HZS
bäiŋam FZ = MBW, ZD = WBD, BD = HZD
yamit bäiŋaf and bäiŋam’s child
yumad yamit’s wife

(a)

Kurai Trafe

Wafine Naimr Nfiyam

Marua Mea Skri

Tawth Toko Abia Wims Gwam Nakre Mabata

Maraga

(b) 1. bäiŋam rä
2. enat yé
3. zath ŋare rä
4. nge yé
5. Nakreane
6. rä

(c) Skri Abiaane bäiŋaf yé.

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Individual Contest Solutions

Problem 4.

(a) 1. çʉm ’aa’ (foot — receptacle): C. flip-flops

2. dâw çʉʉm (person — foot): I. foot
3. dâw nõr (person — mouth): B. mouth
4. dâw nõr keet (person — mouth — leaf/tongue): H. tongue
5. dâw tôog (person — daughter): F. daughter
6. dâw sôb pis piis ((person — hand — small) — small): D. little finger
7. dâw tôoj (person — nose): J. nose
8. dôo’ piis (to make — small): E. to decrease (something)
9. sôb dak (hand — to put): A. ring
10. suk ’aa’ (flour — receptacle): G. can of flour
11. be keet (tree — leaf/tongue): M. leaf
12. be tʉm (tree — seed/eye): Q. seed
13. yak yaa’ (manioc — to roast): T. macaxeira
14. yak nâax (manioc — water): S. tucupi
15. nâx pôog (water — big): P. main river
16. nâx taax (water — tapir): L. capybara
17. taax ’uuy (tapir — domesticated): K. domesticated tapir
18. tʉm tâag (seed/eye — to know): N. glasses (spectacles)
19. yon ’uuy (anteater — domesticated): R. domesticated anteater
20. yon tôoj (anteater — nose): O. revolver

(b) 21. dâw sôb piis (person — (hand — small)): finger

22. dâw sôob pis ((person — hand) — small): little hand
23. dâw çʉm piis (person — (foot — small)): toe

(c) 24. brook, stream — nâx piis (water — small)

25. little tapir — taax pis (tapir) — small
26. eye — dâw tʉm (person — seed/eye)
27. granddaughter — dâw tôg tôog (person — (daughter — daughter))
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Individual Contest Solutions

Problem 5. Word order:

• SV (S = subject of a intransitive verb; V = verb)

• A-lu V P (A = subject of a transitive verb; P = direct object)

Noun: Verb:

noun classes: P=S A • tense (j- present continuous, k- future/past)

women rra- rru-
• (direct object)
(♀) men nya- nyu-
(♂) men = animals ∅- ki- • subject
(♀) animals ∅- ji-
edible things ma- noun classes: P S A
pl li- linji- women arr- anda- anda-
(♀) men any- iwa- ilu-
(♂) men = animals ∅- a- ilu-
(♀) animals ∅- i- inju-
edible things ∅- ∅- ∅-
pl al- alu- alu-

• verb root

• tense (-∅ past, -nji present continuous, -la fu-

ture)

(a) 15. mirningiya ka-wulumala — The man will run.

16. nyu-munangalu kalilu-wudurruma li-wakuku — The white man fed the dogs.
17. linji-ardulu jalu-wubanji ma-burlurlu — The boys/girls (children) are baking the bread.
18. rru-nhanawalu janda-athamanji ardu — The woman is chasing the boy.

(b) 15. ♂
16. ♀
17. ⃝
?
18. ♂

(c) 19. The dog chased the girl.

♀ ji-wakukulu karrinju-athama rra-ardu
♂ ki-wakukulu karrilu-athama rra-ardu
20. The pregnant woman is feeding the old women.
♀=♂ rru-walkurulu jalanda-wudurrumanji li-bardibardi
21. The old man healed the Yanyuwa man.
♀ nyu-malbulu kanyilu-yabima nya-yanyuwa
♂ ki-malbulu kilu-yabima yanyuwa
22. The kangaroo will return.
♀ wunala ki-wanila
♂ wunala ka-wanila