Eight sentences in Language X with their English translations. Translations are not word-by-word — work out the patterns yourself.
Concepts. Syntax is the system that governs how words
combine into sentences. Morphology is the system that governs
how meaningful units (morphemes) combine into words. Linguists look at a
handful of real sentences, spot the recurring patterns, and write the
rules.
Your task. Analyse the data and answer (a), (b), and (c):
Your task. Analyse the data and answer (a), (b), and (c):
- (a) What is the basic word order of subjects, objects, and verbs in Language X? Cite examples.
- (b) How are plural nouns formed? Cite examples.
- (c) Translate one new sentence back into Language X.
data · Language X (Dialect I)
click a word · drag-select letters to mark a morpheme · scratchpad on the right
questions
(a) What's the basic word order of subjects, objects, and verbs in Language X? Cite examples.
Model: Subject–Object–Verb (SOV). Sentence (15)
kanabi telum feru = "the women see the boy" puts the subject (kanabi) before the object (telum) before the verb (feru); (16), (17), (18), (20) all line up the same way. Intransitive sentences like (14) kanabi Selu drop the object slot but still place the verb last.
(b) How are plural nouns formed in Language X? Cite examples.
Model: two plural suffixes split by the noun's final sound. Stems ending in a consonant take
-i: kanab → kanabi, telum → telumi. Stems ending in a vowel take -n: lomu → lomun, pano → panon, kura → kuran. The distribution is phonologically conditioned.
(c) Translate into Language X: "The mountains study the women and the dogs."
Hint: subject (plural mountains), conjoined plural object joined with
o, then the verb. Don't forget agreement on the verb.
Problem from the International Linguistics Challenge 2025 qualification round, qualification problem C ("Word Order and Plural Morphology", Language X, ★★☆). Source: lingchallenge.org. The framing is our own; the linguistic data is from the original problem set and credited to its authors. Previous: ← Problem B · Word Boundaries · Next: Problem D · Verbal Agreement →