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Cracking the language code

Cracking the language code. The UK Linguistics Olympiad Dick Hudson UCS, November 2011. What it takes. Brains to analyse to spot patterns Determination to keep going when you're stuck Imagination to keep an open mind to think outside the box. Why 'linguistics'?.

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Cracking the language code

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  1. Cracking the language code The UK Linguistics Olympiad Dick Hudson UCS, November 2011

  2. What it takes • Brains • to analyse • to spot patterns • Determination • to keep going when you're stuck • Imagination • to keep an open mind • to think outside the box

  3. Why 'linguistics'? • Because the Olympiad is all about language • Linguistics is the scientific study of language • The problems are about: • writing and sounds • meanings • grammar • etc.

  4. A puzzle for Indiana Jones uklo.org

  5. Where is Cleopatra? uklo.org o l p Ptolemy t t e c l e o p r a a Cleopatra • Spot the pattern!

  6. Football teams in Chinese uklo.org

  7. Japanese hiragana uklo.org See if you can sort out which is which.

  8. Ancient Greek –but in Roman letters uklo.org The Greek phrases A-H have been translated into English, but the translations 1-8 have been jumbled up. Your task is to un-jumble them.

  9. Manam Island, Papua New Guinea uklo.org The sentences below tell us where Onkau, Kulu, Mombwa, Tola, Sulung, Sala, Pita and Butokang live. Can you work out who lives where? Tola (1) (4) (2) (3) auta = North ilau = South ata = West awa = East Sala DEAD END! THINK AGAIN! (5)

  10. What's up in Manam?

  11. Where's North in Manam? Is the sun always in the North? • Until recently, there were • no maps • no compasses

  12. What are they like in Manam? They're like us. They enjoy a day at the seaside. And they don't know where North is.

  13. What's where in Manam Island? uklo.org New idea: When relating two places, imagine standing between them facing uphill! The sentences below tell us where Onkau, Kulu, Mombwa, Tola, Sulung, Sala, Pita and Butokang live. Can you work out who lives where? Pita (8) (6) Butokang Sulung (4) Tola (7) (3) auta = up ilau = down ata = left awa = right Sala (5)

  14. So what? • Languages have very different ways of coding the same message. • Cracking the code is a challenge. • But they don't even always code the same meanings. • And that is why I love linguistics!

  15. The Linguistics Olympiad • Exotic glimpses of other cultures • Code-cracking meets sudoku • Compete • thousands of other bright youngsters • like the Maths Challenge • To find out more, visit: • www.uklo.org

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