2023 · open round · F · 15 points

A Calabash Calculation

Ryan Chi · morphology · semantics · rosetta-stone translation

While touring the sìì jaŋgidḕ ("school"), you attempt to learn a few words of Nizaa, with the help of a few trusty flashcards. Unfortunately, someone failed to print the flashcards double-sided! Your job is to match the Nizaa (left) and English (right) back together.

Nizaa	English
1. ɓeè	A. Anthocleista vogelii
2. ɓeè nim	B. calabash
3. ɓòw	C. carpenter
4. ɓòw-ŋwiiŋ	D. cup (for drinking water)
5. ɓʉʉ	E. dog
6. cam fwɛ̀ɛŋ	F. duck
7. cam-ŋwiiŋ	G. fingernail
8. cún fwɛ̀ɛŋ	H. hairdresser
9. cún nim	I. head
10. ɗɔ́ɔŋ	J. hunter
11. ɗɔ́ɔŋ nim	K. little finger
12. hodḕ ɗɔ́ɔŋ	L. puppy
13. nìì cún	M. roof
14. nìì gírcí ɓʉʉ	N. sauce
15. nìì kwɛ́ɛŋ	O. sauce spoon
16. nim	P. soup
17. nim ɓʉʉ	Q. source of water
18. sìì ɓʉʉ	R. teardrop
19. sìŋw kwɛ́ɛŋ	S. tree bark
20. sìŋw nim	T. water
21. yír nim	U. wild bird

Notes: Nizaa is spoken by about 10,000 people in Cameroon. Anthocleista vogelii is a species of tree that thrives in the rainforest. A calabash is a gourd (a type of hard-shelled fruit, similar to a pumpkin) that is often hollowed out and dried for use as a container. Pronunciation is not relevant for solving this problem, but ɓ, ŋ, and ɗ are consonants; ʉ, ɛ, and ɔ are vowels; and marks above vowels indicate tone—the pitch used when pronouncing a vowel.

F1. Indicate which English translations go with which Nizaa words and phrases.

F2. Translate into Nizaa: a. bush, b. hut, c. to read, d. to shave.

TimerminutesOptional. Set whatever limit suits you.

Questions

0 of 25 correct

Some answers use letters your keyboard does not have. Type the closest plain spelling instead and it still counts, and you can leave accents off.

Match each Nizaa word or phrase with its English translation. Give the letter (A-U) of the English item.

1. ɓeè

2. ɓeè nim

3. ɓòw

4. ɓòw-ŋwiiŋ

5. ɓʉʉ

6. cam fwɛ̀ɛŋ

7. cam-ŋwiiŋ

8. cún fwɛ̀ɛŋ

9. cún nim

10. ɗɔ́ɔŋ

11. ɗɔ́ɔŋ nim

12. hodḕ ɗɔ́ɔŋ

13. nìì cún

14. nìì gírcí ɓʉʉ

15. nìì kwɛ́ɛŋ

16. nim

17. nim ɓʉʉ

18. sìì ɓʉʉ

19. sìŋw kwɛ́ɛŋ

20. sìŋw nim

21. yír nim

Translate into Nizaa. Tone marks are not required for credit, but try to include them.

a. bush

b. hut

c. to read

d. to shave

Explanation

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Reading the explanation costs no XP. Worth 15 points in the real exam.