DLAB Language Structure Deduction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Study: 'bo kela mira' = 'she reads quickly,' 'bo peta mira' = 'she writes quickly,' 'fo kela tura' = 'he reads slowly.' What does 'bo' mean?
- reads
- quickly
- she (Correct answer)
- slowly
Correct answer: she
Comparing sentences 1-2, 'bo' stays when the verb changes (reads → writes), so 'bo' isn't the verb. Comparing sentences 1 and 3, 'bo' changes to 'fo' when 'she' changes to 'he.' Therefore 'bo' = she and 'fo' = he.
Question 2: In an unknown language: 'kata-si' = 'houses' (plural), 'kata' = 'house,' 'biru-si' = 'birds,' 'biru' = 'bird.' A new word 'nelo' means 'tree.' What is 'trees'?
- nelo-si (Correct answer)
- si-nelo
- nelo-nelo
- nelosi
Correct answer: nelo-si
The plural is formed by adding the suffix '-si' to the noun: kata → kata-si, biru → biru-si. This is a regular, productive rule. Applying it to 'nelo' (tree) gives 'nelo-si' (trees).
Question 3: Given: 'ela tomi kura' = 'the woman bought fruit,' 'ela tomi kura ven' = 'the woman bought fruit yesterday,' 'ela reki tomi kura' = 'the woman will buy fruit.' Where is future tense marked?
- At the end of the sentence
- By adding 'reki' before the verb (Correct answer)
- By changing the verb form
- By adding 'ven' at the end
Correct answer: By adding 'reki' before the verb
Past adds 'ven' at the end (yesterday marker). Future adds 'reki' before the verb 'tomi.' The base sentence is present/past. The future marker 'reki' is a pre-verbal particle that signals future tense, while the time word 'ven' is a sentence-final adverb.
Question 4: Study: 'ami gola piru' = 'I drink water,' 'ami gola-ta piru' = 'I drank water,' 'ami gola-ne piru' = 'I will drink water.' Tense is marked on the verb. What are the past and future markers?
- -ta for future, -ne for past
- -ta for past, -ne for future (Correct answer)
- -ta for present, -ne for past
- Neither marks tense
Correct answer: -ta for past, -ne for future
The base form 'gola' is present tense (I drink). Adding '-ta' marks past (I drank) and '-ne' marks future (I will drink). These are verbal suffixes that modify the time reference of the action while leaving the subject and object unchanged.
Question 5: In an unknown language: 'pali kero muna sola' = 'the small child eats rice,' 'toli kero duna sola' = 'the tall man eats rice.' What does 'kero' mean?
- small
- child
- eats (Correct answer)
- rice
Correct answer: eats
'Kero' appears in both sentences in the same position while subjects and adjectives change. 'Sola' also stays constant and appears with 'rice' in both. Since 'pali' pairs with 'small' and 'muna' with 'child' (changing to 'toli' tall and 'duna' man), 'kero' must be 'eats.'
Question 6: Given these negations: 'ami beka' = 'I go,' 'ami no beka' = 'I don't go,' 'tu beka' = 'you go,' 'tu no beka' = 'you don't go.' What is the negation strategy?
- A suffix on the verb
- A particle 'no' before the verb (Correct answer)
- A prefix on the subject
- Changing the verb entirely
Correct answer: A particle 'no' before the verb
Negation is formed by inserting the particle 'no' between the subject and verb: 'ami beka' → 'ami no beka.' This is a pre-verbal negation particle, common in many languages. The verb and subject remain unchanged.
DLAB Language Structure Deduction 2
Study: 'bo kela mira' = 'she reads quickly,' 'bo peta mira' = 'she writes quickly,' 'fo kela tura' = 'he reads slowly.' What does 'bo' mean?