Recognising Linguistic Structures

In the following exercises, you will be shown several expressions in invented foreign languages and their English translation. This will allow you to derive the meaning of individual words and some grammatical rules in the respective foreign language. This information will help you answer the subsequent questions. In each case two exercises relate to a certain language. Therefore please only use the provided expressions to answer the questions.

You may proceed on the assumption that

• there are no exceptions to the rules (e.g. irregular verbs) and
• only those rules apply which may be derived from the provided expressions.

Example:
koloa = I lie
kolOe = he lay
satoe = he stands

Question: What is “I stood” in the foreign language?
(A) satoa
(B) kolOa
(C) satoe
(D) satOa

Answer (D) is correct since:

I. The expressions for “I lie” and “he lay” differ only as regards the last two letters; hence “kol” must be the root of the verb “lie”.

II. The final letter of the expressions “he lay” and “he stands” is in both cases “e”; hence an appended “e” means “he”.

III. The two present tense forms (“I lie” and “he stands”) both have an “o” as the penultimate letter; hence “O” as the penultimate letter must indicate the past tense and “a” as the last letter must mean “I”.

Consequently: “I stood” in the foreign language must be “satOa”.