DLAB Language Structure Deduction Flashcards

Study: 'bo kela mira' = 'she reads quickly,' 'bo peta mira' = 'she writes quickly,' 'fo kela tura' = 'he reads slowly.' What does 'bo' mean?

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.

In an unknown language: 'kata-si' = 'houses' (plural), 'kata' = 'house,' 'biru-si' = 'birds,' 'biru' = 'bird.' A new word 'nelo' means 'tree.' What is 'trees'?

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).

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?

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.'

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?

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.