Problems C and D were Dialect I. Below is data from Dialect II — the verbal agreement system isn't quite the same.
Concept: dialects. Dialects are variants of a single language.
They're mutually intelligible — speakers can talk to each other — but
they differ from each other in systematic ways: vocabulary, phonology,
syntax, and so on. (Think of the small features that mark different
Englishes: la in Singaporean English, only in Indian
English, innit in London English.) Language X has two
dialects with different verbal agreement systems.
Your task — Part (a). Examine the Dialect II data below. Describe its agreement system. Identify one similarity and one difference compared with Dialect I (Problems C–D), with citations.
Part (b). Both dialects allow pronoun subjects to be dropped (Dialect I:
Your task — Part (a). Examine the Dialect II data below. Describe its agreement system. Identify one similarity and one difference compared with Dialect I (Problems C–D), with citations.
Part (b). Both dialects allow pronoun subjects to be dropped (Dialect I:
kanabi Selu "the women dance" → Selu
"he/she/they dance"). Using your Dialect II rule, predict the
pronoun-dropped Dialect II form for "They dance." and for
"He/She dances."
Dialect II · data
click a word · drag-select letters to mark a morpheme · compare with C and D
questions
(a) Describe the agreement system of Dialect II. Give one similarity and one difference vs. Dialect I (Problems C–D). Cite examples.
Model:
- Similarity — transitive verbs in both dialects agree with the object in number. In (27)
kanabi telum feru, plural subject + singular object → bare verbferu, just like Dialect I (15). - Difference — Dialect II also agrees on intransitive verbs, with the subject. (26)
kanabi ferua"the women see (intr.)" and (28)panon feruashow plural subject →fer+a. Dialect I left intransitives bare regardless of subject number. - (29)
lomu panon feruafalls under the transitive rule: singular subject, plural object →fer+a.
(b) Both dialects allow pronoun subjects to be dropped. In Dialect I:
30. kanabi Selu 'The women dance.'
31. Selu 'He/she/they dance(s).' (subject pronoun dropped)
Based on the Dialect II agreement rules you've identified, predict what the
pronoun-dropped form of "They dance." would look like in Dialect II.
Hint: Selu is intransitive; the subject pronoun "they" is plural; how does Dialect II mark intransitive subject agreement?
And as a bonus: what about "He/she dances." in Dialect II?
Model:
Selu (bare). The dropped subject is singular, intransitive agreement looks for a plural feature on the subject, finds none, so no -a. The Dialect II forms therefore distinguish a meaning Dialect I leaves ambiguous: Selu = "He/she dances", Selua = "They dance" — whereas Dialect I's bare Selu covers both.
Problem from the International Linguistics Challenge 2025 qualification round, problem E ("Dialectal Variation", Language X, ★★★). Source: lingchallenge.org. Framing paraphrased; data and original problem credited to its authors. Previous: ← Problem D · Verbal Agreement · Back to all puzzles.