!"#$%&'()*$(+)#,(+-&.-/01#+%&#(&!

"*,$*)#2+-3&
4+)"*0+)#2+-&+(%&511-#*%&6#(78#9)#29&
The Netherlands, Leiden, 8-12 August 2005
Solutions to the Problems of the !ndividual Contest
:$,;-*0&<&
As we analyse the given material we can see that:
1. Affirmative sentences (declarative and interrogative) contain the word oy `be, exist'.
Declarative sentences begin with this word.
2. General questions begin with mi. Special questions begin with the interrogative words
bu `where' or k`usi `what'.
3. General negative sentences begin with ch`abal. Particular negation is formed by the
phrases muk` bu `nowhere' or muk` k`usi `nothing', which also begin the sentence.
+. The present tense is not marked. The past and the future are marked by the word ox,
which comes after oy, ch`abal, muk` bu or muk` k`usi.
5. The person or thing whose (non-)existence or location is stated is named in the
sentence after the words described above. People's names are enclosed by li . e
(which is in fact a definite article).
6. The place and time of action (in this order) are expressed by words or phrases which
close the sentence.
7. The time is expressed by the words junabi `a year ago', volje `yesterday', nax `earlier
today', lavie `now or later today', ok`ob `tomorrow', poot `soon'. The place is marked
by phrases with preposition ta (which has other functions as well).
8. Possession by the first, second, and third person is expressed by the prefixes j-, a-
and s-, respectively. !f the possessed is modified by a preceding adjective, it is the
adjective that receives the prefix.
9. The Tzotzil language calls itself batz`i k`op, literally `real talk'.
599#7(0*()&<=
Ch`abal alekil ixim. !"#$%&'($)"$*""+$,"-).$
Mi oy ox vob ta k`in? /&0$1%(-($2$3455$1%(-($6($7#04,$&1$1%($8&-19:$
K`usi oy ox ta Mexico lavie? /%&1$3455$1%(-($6($4)$;(<4,"$1"+&9:$
Oy ox k`op ta batz`i k`op ta jna volje. =%(-($3&0$&$1&5>$4)$=?"1?45$4)$79$%"#0($9(01(-+&9
599#7(0*()&>=
Where is the party today? @#$A"9$>B4)$5&'4(:$
There was nothing in the pot today. ;#>B$>B#04$A"<$1&$8B4)$)&<.$
You have a real house. AC9$&6&1?B4$)&.$
Will Juana be in San-Cristobal tomorrow? ;4$A"9$A"<$54$D#)>&$($1&$E"6(5$A">B"6:$
He will soon have no pot. F%B&6&5$A"<$08B4)$8"B"1.$
Third !nternational Olympiad in Linguistics. Solutions to the problems of the individual competition. !

!"#$%&'()(
We can see from the statement of the problem that some things named by one English
word take a two-word phrase to say in Lango. Let us try to represent the English nouns as
phrases, too, or better, as combinations of meanings. Thus the meaning `house' is contained in
the concepts "##$, $%##" and "&'()*")+(, `top' or `head' in "##$ and ,)(, `bottom' in $%##" and '#%&;
furthermore ,)( contains the meaning of -)".&+(, and &/&0)%%, perhaps, of -")1+.
We also determine the order of the words in the Lango phrases: possessed+possessor (hat
= !"#$%&"#' `garment oI the head' but rooI = &"#'%(#) `head oI the house').2
*++,-.'&./(01 *+,#%(#)%- Iloor (`bottom of house'), *+,#%)+-#$ - sole oI Ioot (`bottom
of foot'),%!"#$ - garment, !"#$%&"#' - hat (`garment of head'), ."/! - grain, ."/!%&0#1 -
eyeball (`grain of eye'), (#)%'-#2 - restaurant (`house of eating'),%&"#'%(#) - rooI (`head of
house').
*++,-.'&./()1('-#2 - !"#$%&, *+,# - '(##().
*++,-.'&./(21(window - &0#1 (#) (lit. `eye of the house').


!"#$%&'(2(
The Nansi numerals are formed as follows:
5 at 50 atlow
6 x!t 60 x!tlow
8 "ollow 80 "ols#t
9 ont$llow 90 ont$ls#t
10% %-xujplow 100% %-s#t
10(&'1)% (10&) nop$l % 100(&'1)% (100&)-n %
90% 90 % 900% 900 %
(!n fact both the function word nop$l and the ending -n mean `towards': 49 atlow nop$l
ont$llow is literally `nine (on the way) towards fifty'.)
*++,-.'&./(01(ats#tn at *+,, "ols#t nop$l x!t -., ont$llows#tn ont$llowxujplow /01.(
*++,-.'&./()1(58 - 2!#3(45%(6"35#(33(4, 80 - #(37$#, 716 - #(33(47$#%52!#28963(4.(
Third !nternational Olympiad in Linguistics. Solutions to the problems of the individual competition. !

!"#$%&'()(
The modifier (the possessor) follows the head (the possessed) in the Yoruba phrases. !f
the second word begins with !, this sound assimilates to the final vowel of the first word,
whatever it is; if the second word does not begin with ! but rather with another vowel
("#$%#$&#$'#$(), the final vowel of the first word assimilates to this sound. All tones
remain intact.
(No word ever begins with ) in Standard Yoruba; in those dialects where initial ) does
occur, however, it behaves exactly as !.)
*++,-.'&./(01(
|'*"+$",-&+.
!"#$%&'#($&)$!"#$*+#$
2,1!13(/4&(5",6&(#7(/4&(89&:(
|(-($(,/"+.
!"#$%&!"#,-.$
"/.0*'1$
|%,0"+$",1)+.
!"#$2343'3!($&)$!"#$43!($
2,1!13(.&8"(/4&(6,/;:(
|"2&+$&1).
!"#$.!,*'5#,-.$1&5
(
*++,-.'&./(<1(
the head oI the tree(
6'3!+$!4!.(
the witch`s city
6!,,1"++$",2%+.
the house oI love(
6!,,1&+$&,5%+.(
the husband`s axe
6",-(+$(-(.
(
Third !nternational Olympiad in Linguistics. Solutions to the problems of the individual competition. !
!
!"#"$"!%"!
First of all, for every syllable we must determine to which of the two types it belongs. This
is easy to do, since, according to the problem statement, the syllable type always remains the
same within the same root or the same ending. Hence, the root has falling intonation in
paradigms # and $, and rising intonation in paradigms % and &' The endings in Nom.Sg. and
Acc.Pl. always have falling intonation, whereas in Gen.Sg. and Nom.Pl. they always have rising
intonation (the last one is explicated in the problem).
Let us represent these data in a table (where " designates any vowel, and stressed
syllables are set in boldface):
()*)+,-.! #! %! $! &!
Nom.Sg. !#$ %!$ #!$ %!$
Gen.Sg. !%$ "%$ #"$ %"$
Nom.Pl. !%$ "%$ !%$ "%$
Acc.Pl. !#$ %!$ !#$ %!$
Which paradigms belonged together?
!n # and $ the root has falling intonation, but the accent patterns are different. This means
that # and $ must have been different from the outset. The same is true for paradigms % ! &.
Therefore only two options remain:
A. # + % and $ + &
or
B. # + & and $ + %
Option B would have us explain more differences in the place of the accent than option A
(5 versus 3), so we start with option A. Comparing # and %, we notice that the places of the
accent are only different in Nom.Sg. and Acc.Pl., !# in # corresponding to %!#in % in both cases.
Comparing $ and &,! we notice that the places of the accent are only different in Acc.Pl; in this
case, too, !# in $ corresponds to %!# in &. Option B does not yield an acceptable solution. For
instance, the different places of the accent in Gen.Sg (%""#and Nom.Pl. ("%"!in &, the intonation
of both syllables being the same, and their cincidence in #! cannot be accounted for. We
conclude that option A is correct.
/00,-1.213!#'!Paradigms # and %, on the one hand, and paradigms $ and &, on the
other hand, originally belonged together.
!n order to determine what the two initial paradigms looked like, we have to answer the
question why !# and %!# have different places of accent. Naybe #!$ changed to !#? But we can
see the sequence #!# in $! (Nom.Sg.), and "#$ does not occur in any of the paradigms #4&.
Therefore "# always changed to %!, and not the other way around.!
/00,-1.213!%'!Paradigm # + %! looked as # looks now (the root was always accented),
"nd the paradigm $ + &! looked as $! looks now! (the endings were accented in the Singular and
the root was accented in the Plural).
/00,-1.213!$'!Saussure's Law says that in the sequence syllable with rising intonation -
syllable with falling intonation ("#)$ the accent shifted from the first syllable to the second one
(%!).!